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The Kerala health care system has achieved new milestone after seven Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the state secured the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification. Among the seven health centres, the family health centre at Kayyur in the Kasaragod district secured the top position as the best PHC in the country. The NQAS certification is awarded by the National Health Mission, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

KK Shailaja, the Kerala health minister, in a statement said that the family health centre at Kayyur obtained a NQAS score of 99 per cent to become the top PHC in the country. The other health centres in the state to receive the NQAS certification are the Valapattanam and Therthally Family Health Centres in Kannur district, Valiyaparamba and Karinthalam Family Health Centres of Kasaragod, Peruvemba family health centre at Palakkad and the Chemmaruthy family health centre at Thiruvananthapuram.

“This achievement is an acknowledgement to the efforts taken by the Kerala government in the field of health care,” said KK Shailaja in her statement.

The seven health centres that obtained the NQAS certification were among the 170 health centres in the state which were converted into family health centres under the Kerala Government’s Mission Aardram in 2017. According to the state government, this mission aims to create a people-friendly health service system in the state.

“As part of the Aardram mission, the state government is improving the basic facilities in all government hospitals and turning them all into patient-friendly hospitals,” said the health minister.

The NQAS certification is rewarded after taking into consideration various factors such as OP and lab facilities, basic amenities in general administration departments, hospital services, infection control system, cleanliness, patient-friendliness and so on.

The health minister also announced that with this, the state has a total of 23 hospitals that have received NQAS certification so far.

Only those hospitals which obtain a score of more than 70 per cent according to a district level and state level examination are eligible to apply for the NQAS certification.

“Hospitals which receive the NQAS certification receives various incentives from the Centre which can be used for the development of these hospitals,” KK Shailaja added.

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