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NABH accreditation
What it is
Accreditation run by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers, a Quality Council of India body, assessing hospitals against 600+ standards covering patient safety, infrastructure, staff qualification and clinical process
Two stages - Entry Level Certification, valid two years, and Full Accreditation, valid three. Nominally voluntary, but increasingly a commercial prerequisite
Impact on industries
- Directly monetisable - Entry Level earns 10% and Full Accreditation 15% extra on every PM-JAY package, and it is mandatory for CGHS empanelment and most tenders
- Separates organised chains from nursing homes for insurers, corporate buyers and medical-value-travel patients, aiding both volume and tariff negotiation
- Cost is a real barrier for smaller facilities - Rs 3-25 lakh for full accreditation plus trained staff, infrastructure upgrades and continuing surveillance
- Voluntary in name only: Madhya Pradesh ordered empanelled hospitals in four cities to obtain Full-Level NABH by Mar 2026 or lose scheme access