The Department of Health Services under the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has achieved the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s 2025 target for quality certification, with 75 public health facilities securing State-level National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification. Among these, 30 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs/Sub-Centres (AAM/SCs) have also obtained National-level NQAS certification from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Of the 30 facilities receiving national-level certification, 16 are located in South Andaman district, four in Nicobar district, and ten in North and Middle Andaman district. The certification is considered a benchmark of healthcare quality within public health systems, focusing on patient safety, standardised clinical care and institutional governance.
NQAS certification serves as a nationally recognised framework aimed at strengthening quality assurance across public healthcare facilities. It emphasises systematic clinical protocols, operational accountability and continuous quality improvement. The framework also aims to reinforce public confidence in government health services by ensuring measurable standards of care delivery.
Officials indicated that the achievement reflects ongoing efforts to provide patient-centric, safe and effective healthcare services across the islands, including geographically remote locations. The initiative aligns with broader national healthcare objectives centred on improving accessibility, affordability and quality of medical services.
The certification milestone corresponds with the national policy vision of expanding “Quality Healthcare for All,” which seeks to ensure consistent healthcare standards across both urban and remote regions. In geographically challenging territories such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, maintaining uniform healthcare quality remains a strategic priority.
Recognising the role of trained human resources in sustaining healthcare quality, the Health Department has focused on capacity building and institutional strengthening. During the year, intensive training programmes were conducted in collaboration with the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC).
As a result of these training initiatives, 95 frontline healthcare professionals successfully qualified the Internal Assessor Examination. The group includes Community Health Officers, Public Health Nurses and Multi-Purpose Health Workers. The training aimed at strengthening internal quality assessment mechanisms within public health facilities and supporting compliance with NQAS standards.
Health authorities maintain that capacity building of frontline personnel is central to sustaining certification standards and ensuring consistent service delivery. Continuous training, evaluation and quality monitoring remain part of ongoing institutional strengthening efforts within the public healthcare system.
The Administration has reiterated its commitment to expanding NQAS certification coverage across additional public health facilities. The stated objective is to further enhance healthcare quality, institutional accountability and service delivery standards for residents of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The certification progress represents a step in the Administration’s broader healthcare quality assurance agenda, focusing on maintaining standardised care, improving patient safety frameworks and ensuring reliable healthcare access across the island territories.
