Acting tough on errant hospitals, the Health Ministry has decided to name and shame from next year the health facilities found to be lacking on sanitation, waste management and infection control under its 'Kayakalp' initiative.
 

To fix accountability at various levels, the ministry will also make public names of the hospitals getting negative feedback from patients through its Mera Aspataal (My Hospital) App. The Mera Aspataal initiative, which aims at empowering patients by seeking their views on quality of experience in a public healthcare facility, was launched in August 2016. "From next year, we will not only name and award hospitals which perform very well under the Kayakalp initiative but will also name those health facilities which will not perform up to the mark on various parameters, including sanitation, waste management and infection control," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said today during the national felicitation ceremony of Kayakalp awardees (2017-18) here.

Nadda said the 'Kayakalp' programme was launched by Health Ministry following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to the people of the country to realise Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Swachh Bharat (Clean India). "Kayakalp has been instrumental in inculcating a sense of ownership' amongst all stake holders. This sense of ownership' has translated into commitment for Swachhta," he said. Congratulating the awardess, Nadda said that cleanliness is no more a one-time activity and Kayakalp has played a pivotal role in gaining trust and confidence of community in public health facilities.

He asked the hospitals to continue with their efforts in improving cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices. Meanwhile, in a bid to replicate the AIIMS model, the ministry will come up with an exchange programme as part of which doctors from AIIMS in the national capital and PGI Chandigarh will go to other AIIMS and central government hospitals to share their expertise and help them improve their performance standards.

Similarly, doctors from those hospital will also come to the premier institute and undergo training. Kayakalp, an initiative for awarding public health facilities, aims to incentivise the facilities that show exemplary performance in adhering to standard protocols of cleanliness and infection control as well as inculcate a culture of ongoing assessment and peer review of performance related to hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation.

It was launched in May 2015. Under the Central Government Hospitals A category, the first prize of Rs 2.5 crore was given to the AIIMS, Delhi. Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh was judged as the runner-up in this category with Rs 1.5 crore prize. Commendation Award of Rs 50 Lakh was given to JIPMER, Puducherry along with Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. MGIMS, Wardha received the certificate of appreciation.

In the Group B category, the winner was NEIGRIHMS, Shillong with Rs 1.50 crore and the runner-up was AIIMS, Bhubaneswar with Rs 1 crore. Commendation Award of Rs 50 Lakh was given to NIMHANS, Bengaluru, AIIMS, Rishikesh, AIIMS, Raipur, NITRD, New Delhi and AIIMS, Bhopal in Group B. AIIMS, Jodhpur received the certificate of appreciation. Nadda also felicitated the district hospitals, PHCs and CHCs for winning the awards in their respective states and union territory.