West Garo Hills, Meghalaya | 27th July 2025 In a landmark achievement for public healthcare in the region, Babadam Primary Health Centre (PHC) in West Garo Hills has been awarded the prestigious National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
This certification marks Babadam PHC as the first Primary Health Centre in the entire Garo Hills region to receive NQAS recognition, signifying its commitment to high-quality, patient-centered care. The NQAS framework, developed by the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) under the Quality Council of India (QCI), evaluates public health facilities across India on key parameters including patient care, infection control, hygiene, infrastructure, and service delivery.
Reflecting on the achievement, Sr. Riya, Health Programme Manager at Babadam PHC, stated:
“This recognition is the result of God’s blessing, hard work, and the unwavering dedication of our entire team. We’ve worked together to create a clean, patient-friendly, and efficient healthcare environment. Receiving the NQAS certification has motivated us to continue raising the standards of care for our community.”
She further noted:
“As an IPA facility, we’ve had the flexibility to plan based on local needs, engage more closely with the community, and strengthen staff accountability. That has made a real difference in how we deliver healthcare every day.”
Babadam PHC is among 122 healthcare facilities operating under the Internal Performance Agreement (IPA) model—an initiative of the Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project (MHSSP) supported by the World Bank. The IPA model follows a results-based financing approach, where health facilities are evaluated on pre-defined performance indicators and receive additional support based on outcomes. It aims to enhance accountability, improve healthcare delivery, and guide facilities toward achieving national quality benchmarks like NQAS.
The certification of Babadam PHC is the result of months of rigorous preparation, capacity building, and system strengthening, led by the PHC team with continuous technical guidance from the Joint Directorate Quality Committee (JDQC), the District Medical & Health Officer (DM&HO), West Garo Hills, MHSSP, and the National Health Mission (NHM).
This milestone not only underscores the dedication of frontline health workers in serving remote and underserved communities but also sets a benchmark for other PHCs across Meghalaya. It paves the way for building a stronger, more resilient, and quality-driven public health system for the state.
