INDIA – The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) has signed a collaboration agreement with the Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) for the recognition and skilling initiatives of healthcare professionals across India.

The partnership will allow the recognition of HSSC certification for NABH accreditation through training programs for skilling, reskilling, and upskilling required for healthcare professionals, and, ultimately, achieving the goal of enhancing healthcare quality in the country.

Under the collaboration with HSSC, NABH will further strengthen the entire ecosystem of patient safety and healthcare delivery in line with its mandate to cater to the much desired needs of the consumers and to set benchmarks for the progress of the health industry.

National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India, set up to establish and operate accreditation programs for healthcare organizations.

The NABH-HSSC partnership will play a central role in creating an inevitable and essential shift in terms of recognition of skills, practical-oriented training, and enhanced placement opportunities for certified healthcare professionals.

This landmark initiative is envisaged to provide impetus to quality training, skilling, creating placement opportunities for skilled healthcare workforce leading to enhanced quality of healthcare for patients,” Mr. Ashish Jain, CEO of Healthcare Sector Skill Council said in a release.

In addition, the partnership aligns with the vision of the Honourable Prime Minister and the objective of the Skill India Mission under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Healthcare Sector Skill Council is a National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) recognized awarding body working under the ambit of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

The main objective of the Council is to develop qualifications, learning resources, training programs, assessment, and certification mechanism for skilling, reskilling, and upskilling of professionals, and facilitate placement and apprenticeship opportunities.

It works closely with industry and academia to create a skills eco-system in the healthcare sector, which helps in the development of skilled and work-ready professionals as required by the industry.

Subsequently, the partnership between HSSC and the National Accreditation Board will help in addressing gaps in the continuity of care and progress on patient safety across the country.

It will significantly impact better accessibility and early intervention in healthcare delivery in India while improving clinical outcomes and enhancing healthcare delivery with a skilled health workforce trained under HSSC.

The signing ceremony was presided over by Dr. Atul Kochhar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers, and Mr. Ashish Jain, CEO of the Healthcare Sector Skill Council.

It was signed in the presence of Dr. S. Selvakumar IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Government of Karnataka, and Dr. Devi Shetty, Chairman of the Healthcare Sector Skill Council.

On his part, NABH CEO Dr. Atul Kochhar said: “Over the years, NABH standards have brought a paradigm shift in delivering healthcare services and it has helped in sensitizing health care workers about their responsibilities.”

He pointed out that with India’s diverse economy, growing at an unprecedented rate, the country requires many professionals who are skilled, continuously reskilling and upskilling.

Today, our overall medical professional count per 1000 patients is much below than World Health Organization (WHO) standards across doctors, patients, and para medics category,” Dr. Kochhar noted.

He underscored that the partnership with HSSC will assist the Indian healthcare board in exploring solutions and bridging the gap between healthcare professionals and patients in ongoing efforts to advance the safety and quality of healthcare.

For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.