New Delhi: The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) & Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first hospital under the Central Government to receive Full Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) as per the latest 5th Edition Standards.
Dr (Prof.) Ashok Kumar, Director, stated, “This full NABH accreditation makes ABVIMS & Dr. RML Hospital the first hospital under the Central Government to achieve this status. He also outlined the journey of quality improvement undertaken so far, ranging from infrastructure upgrades to staff training “
He ensures that “patient care and safety meet the highest national standards.”
Dr Ashok also emphasised his vision regarding the future road map of quality improvement.
Dr (Prof.) Vivek Dewan, MS, emphasised the importance of the NABH process in improving patient safety, clinical protocols, and service delivery. He acknowledged that over the past two years, since the initiation of the full accreditation process, every member of the organisation, from frontline staff, security guards, and nursing officers to senior management, has contributed significantly to achieving this recognition.
Dr Arti Maria, Dean, expressed that this achievement is only the starting point in the hospital’s ongoing journey towards excellence in quality and safety. She pledged that efforts for continuous quality improvement will continue relentlessly to ensure maximum benefits for both patients and hospital staff.
Dr (Prof.) Sameek Bhattacharya, Chairman of the Quality & Accreditation Committee, detailed the extensive preparation undertaken. He said, “31 hospital departments developed their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in alignment with NABH standards. Over 150 forms and formats were created to implement quality systems.”
“Comprehensive training programs were carried out, including Basic Life Support (BLS), Fire Safety, Code Pink (infant abduction response), Code Blue (cardiac arrest), Code Red (fire emergency), Code Yellow, and Code Violet drills.NABH assessors audited 561 standards across 36 departments and 15 clinical buildings,” he said.
“Staff across all levels were evaluated for knowledge and were required to demonstrate practical drills to prove the effectiveness of the training,” he added.
Dr Parul Goyel, Nodal Officer for Quality & Accreditation, stressed that this was a genuine on-ground transformation. She highlighted the active contribution of Nodal Officers from each department, Heads of Departments (HODs), nursing officers, doctors, resident doctors, and even non-clinical teams such as security guards, ambulance services, procurement and stores, pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology.
She recounted real-life examples where trained staff successfully handled a Code Pink situation and multiple Code Blues, saving lives through the systems and drills developed for accreditation. She also noted that the quality culture has now become ingrained among all staff, ensuring sustainability.
