The Khawzawl District Quality Assurance Committee (DQAC) held its first quarterly meeting on Friday to review the quality of healthcare services across government health institutions in the district and discuss measures to help them achieve National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification.
The meeting was chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner K. Zorammuana at the DC Conference Hall in Khawzawl.
The committee has been constituted to monitor and improve the quality of services at public health facilities, including the District Hospital, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs). It will meet once every quarter to assess progress and guide healthcare institutions towards obtaining certification at both the state and national levels under the NQAS programme.
During the meeting, Khawzawl District Chief Medical Officer and DQAC Convener Dr. Shahnaz M. Zothanzami presented a review of the current status of public health facilities in the district.
She informed the committee that Primary Health Centres at Rabung, Khawhai and Kawlkulh have already secured both state and national-level NQAS certification. Community Health Centre, Biate, has received state-level certification but is yet to undergo the national-level assessment.
The committee also reviewed the progress of District Hospital, Khawzawl. Officials said the hospital, which was upgraded from a Primary Health Centre to a District Hospital, continues to face several challenges in meeting the prescribed standards. Although the hospital has undergone two external assessments, it has not yet achieved the minimum 75 per cent score required in the internal assessment for NQAS certification.
However, assessors noted that the hospital has shown gradual improvement in its quality standards and service delivery.
Doctors attending the meeting said that the ongoing construction of the new District Hospital complex has limited their ability to implement several planned improvements. Officials also pointed out that many Health and Wellness Centres face infrastructure constraints, making it difficult for them to fulfil the requirements needed during internal quality assessments.
District Programme Manager Laldinsanga briefed the committee on the infrastructural gaps and other challenges affecting the certification process at Health and Wellness Centres.
Following detailed discussions on the shortcomings and the steps required for achieving NQAS certification, the committee decided to prepare separate roadmaps for improving healthcare facilities. The Chairman directed the Member Secretary and Senior Medical Officer Dr. Lalzikpuii to prepare a roadmap for the District Hospital, while the District Programme Manager was tasked with preparing a similar plan for the Health and Wellness Centres.
The committee decided that the proposed roadmaps would be reviewed and discussed at its next meeting as part of the district’s ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare quality and achieve NQAS certification across all public health institutions.
