Kochi: Leading health tourism operators in Kerala on Friday announced the launch of Kerala Medical Value Travel Society at the inaugural session of Kerala Health Tourism 2015, which got off in Kochi.
All the hospitals accredited by the national Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) will be part of the society, which is registered as a non-profit organisation.
According to the draft memorandum of association, the Society will organise study tours of foreign health agents, medical value travel promotion agencies and health writers to Kerala.
It will also undertake medical value travel promotion efforts in India and abroad which include conducting exhibitions and publishing relevant data.
The membership in the society is open to all hospitals which have got NABH accreditation or those who have applied for it, hospitals established for predominantly modern medicine or with a minimum 50 bed, institutes for hospitality, medical value travel, health studies offering courses approved by the government and district medical value travel promotion councils.
Earlier, inaugurating fifth edition of the two-day health tourism expo, chief secretary Jiji Thomson said the health tourism industry should explore the possibility for taking a cluster-based approach for the growth of the sector.
President’s press secretary Venu Rajamony who delivered a special address called for public-private partnership initiatives to take the sector ahead.
In the technical sessions that followed, KSIDC managing director Dr M Beena said holistic healthcare that merges modern medicine and Ayurveda will be the unique selling proposition of the state in health tourism.
Mr Hussain Rasheed, State Minister for Health, Republic of Maldives and Dr Ali Ahmed Salim Ba-Omar, director, Oman Health Attaché, also made presentations.
More than 350 delegates from India and abroad are attending the expo in which 35 institutions in the healthcare and allied sectors showcase their products and services. The expo will be opened for the public on Saturday.
Kerala attracts just 5% tourists
Healthcare providers in Kerala are serious about accreditation of their facilities than those in most other states, according to the data available with National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH).
Of the 618 institutions with NABH accreditation in the country, 81 are from the state. “Kerala is second only to Delhi which has 94 accredited institutions,” NABH chief executive officer Dr K K Kalra said here on Friday.
As many as 24 hospitals—of which five are from the government sector—from the state have accreditation under the big hospital category.
“There are 317 such hospitals across the country,” he said. Of the 33 institutions with Safe-I certification, which deals with hygiene quality and infection control, 17 are from Kerala.
NABH has tied up with the global agency International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQUA).
“NABH works closely with organations such as Indian Medical Association and government departments to promote accreditation which would bring better image for the hospitals,” he said.
The NABH follows a very strict protocol for the accreditation, which is granted for three years. “There are 64 indicators, of which 11 are mandatory, in the process,” Dr Kalra said.
“Apart from the regular inspections, we also conduct surprise checks in the hospitals before and after the accreditation process is completed.”
He said NABH takes every piece of information on the hospitals with an accreditation, especially negative information, very seriously.
“NABH works closely with organations such as Indian Medical Association and government departments to promote accreditation which would bring better image for the hospitals,” he said.
The NABH follows a very strict protocol for the accreditation, which is granted for three years.
“There are 64 indicators, of which 11 are mandatory, in the process,” Dr Kalra said. “Apart from the regular inspections, we also conduct surprise checks in the hospitals before and after the accreditation process is completed.”
He said NABH takes every piece of information on the hospitals with an accreditation, especially negative information, very seriously.
‘More Kerala hospitals go for accreditation’
Healthcare providers in Kerala are more conscious of the certification process which would stand them in good stead while competing in the global market for attention.
According to the data available with National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), 317 hospitals in the country with more than 50 beds have NABH accreditation, of which 24 are from Kerala.
“Of them five are in the government sector,” NABH chief executive officer Dr K K Kalra said here on Friday.
Delhi is the only state which has more number of hospitals with accreditation, he said. Of the 33 institutions with Safe-I certification, which deals with hygiene quality and infection control, 17 are from Kerala.
NABH has tied up with the global agency International Society for Quality in Healthcare ( ISQUA). “NABH works closely with organations such as Indian Medical Association and government departments to promote accreditation which would bring better image for the hospitals,” he said.
The NABH follows a very strict protocol for the accreditation, which is granted for three years.
“There are 64 indicators, of which 11 are mandatory, in the process,” Dr Kalra said. “Apart from the regular inspections, we also conduct surprise checks in the hospitals before and after the accreditation process is completed.”
He said NABH takes every piece of information on the hospitals with an accreditation, especially negative information, very seriously.
