Can Kayakalp Help MCD Hospitals Meet Quality Benchmarks?

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to bring nine of its hospitals under the Centre's Kayakalp programme this year, using the quality-assessment framework as part of a wider effort to align municipal healthcare facilities with national standards on cleanliness, patient safety, infection control and service delivery.

The move is intended to push hospitals towards recognised quality benchmarks through a series of measures that go beyond sanitation, including infrastructure upgrades, digitalisation, waste management reforms, emergency preparedness and compliance with national quality frameworks. While Kayakalp will serve as the immediate assessment mechanism, the civic body is also preparing hospitals for National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) implementation and LaQshya certification.

Launched by the Union Health Ministry in 2015, Kayakalp is a quality-improvement and incentive programme for public health facilities. It evaluates hospitals on parameters including sanitation, infection control, waste management, patient safety, infrastructure and service delivery.

"Hospitals will be required to secure more than 80 per cent marks under the Kayakalp assessment framework to qualify for incentive," an official told PTI.

Officials said the MCD views the programme as part of a broader process of strengthening systems within its hospitals rather than a standalone exercise.

"We are looking at Kayakalp not as a standalone exercise but as part of a larger quality continuum. The objective is to build systems that improve patient care, safety and service delivery across hospitals," an official said.

To meet those standards, the civic body plans to introduce mechanised sweeping across hospitals, expand its zero-waste-to-landfill programme and strengthen compliance with patient-safety and disaster-management protocols. Several ageing hospital buildings are also slated for refurbishment and infrastructure upgrades.

The hospitals identified for the initiative are Hindu Rao Hospital, Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital (MVID), Mata Gujri Hospital, Swami Dayanand Hospital, Kasturba Hospital, Mrs Girdhari Lal Maternity Hospital, Balak Ram Hospital, Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis, and Veer Savarkar Arogya Sansthan.

Alongside physical upgrades, the MCD has been expanding digital systems across its healthcare network. The civic body has already digitised outpatient department (OPD) registration services across its hospitals and operationalised the e-Hospital platform to streamline patient records and administrative processes.

"The MCD has already digitised outpatient department (OPD) registration services across its hospitals and operationalised the e-Hospital platform to streamline patient records and administrative processes. It is also planning to provide tablets to field workers to improve data collection, monitoring and service delivery," the official said.

Officials said the quality push extends beyond Kayakalp. The civic body is simultaneously working towards implementation of the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), a framework that assesses public healthcare facilities on clinical services and hospital management.

Hospitals are also being prepared for LaQshya certification, a quality certification programme focused on labour rooms and maternity operation theatres.

"The idea is to progressively move hospitals towards higher quality benchmarks. Kayakalp is one component, but the larger goal is to strengthen systems and create facilities that meet national standards," the official said.

The quality-improvement drive is also accompanied by plans to expand critical care capacity. According to officials, a 100-bed critical care block has been proposed at Swami Dayanand Hospital, while a 50-bed critical care block is planned at Hindu Rao Hospital.

The projects are expected to augment critical care capacity in the municipal healthcare system and improve preparedness for medical emergencies.

Officials said the measures are being implemented in phases and will cover multiple aspects of hospital functioning as the civic body works towards bringing its facilities in line with national quality standards.

(With inputs from PTI)