NABH signs MoU to bridge healthcare skill gap

The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) signed an MoU on Saturday with the Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) to facilitate skilling of healthcare professionals nationally. HSSC, which works under the Centre’s Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, offers courses on reskilling and upskilling health professionals.

As per the MoU, NABH, when accrediting any hospital, will now recognise and take into account any HSSC certification that the hospital staff has taken. The certifications are not mandatory, but will help the hospital score more points. This is expected to reduce the skill gap in hospitals, as many professionals – including doctors and nurses – don’t undergo further training once they join hospitals.

“When HSSC certification taken by the staff is considered during hospital accreditation, it will motivate staff to take up courses. Otherwise there is no incentive for them to take courses,” HSSC CEO Ashish Jain told DH. “Until now, NABH only looked at the basic qualification of the staff, but the staff need to upskill over time to maintain the quality of care.”

The MoU had already been signed once, but could not be implemented as Covid followed soon, he said.

In addition to upskilling professionals, HSSC also offers short-term courses in disciplines like phlebotomy, that can employ many who have just finished 12th standard. This is expected to reduce the gap in the availability of professionals, especially in smaller hospitals across the country. “India’s overall medical professional count per 1,000 patients is much lower than WHO standards. This partnership will help us explore solutions and address the gap,” NABH CEO Dr Atul Kochhar said. Deccan Herald