In a bid to improve the quality of healthcare services being provided to the patients, the Ministry of Health and Population has been preparing to assess minimum service standards of the state-run health facilities.

For that, a two-day training has been imparted to 36 health officials including doctors of six provinces except officials from Madhesh Province.

“Services being provided by health facilities need to be assessed on a regular basis to find the gap,” said Dr Phadindra Prasad Baral, chief of the Mental Health Section at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. “Trained health workers will not only be mobilised for assessment but will also provide training to health workers serving under the provincial government and local units, so that they can assess service quality of health facilities of their respective jurisdiction.”

Minimum service standards for hospitals are the service readiness and availability of tools for optimal requirements of hospitals to ensure minimum services. The concept was readied in 2014 with the technical and financial support of the Nick Simons Institute, according to officials.

They say that around 300 checklists have been prepared for the assessment. Governance and management part weighed 20 percent, clinical service management part weighed 60 percent and hospital service support service weighed 20 percent.

Several hospitals including Lagankhel-based Nepal Mental Hospital and Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital scored less than 50 percent in the assessment carried out in the past.

Officials say that minimum service standard score for hospitals measures existing situations and enables them to identify the gap areas to be addressed. It helps to develop action plans, technical and financial inputs and managerial commitments.

“We will not only check if the hospitals have met the service quality and other requirements, but also provide support including financial support to address the shortcomings,” said Baral. “The Ministry of Health and Population and Nick Simons Institute have allocated a budget for this programme.”

Officials say that during inspection, they will monitor hospital equipment, manpower, hospital waste management, power back-up, availability of drinking water, operation theatres and emergency wards, among others.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Office, Kathmandu said that only 12 percent of the state-run health facility buildings in the district run by local governments met required construction standards. None of the health facilities run by local units in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Kirtipur Municipality, Tokha Municipality and Gokarneshwor Municipality meet construction standards. Four health facilities each of Tarakeshwor Municipality and Kageshwori Manohara Municipality meet construction standards.

Likewise, only two health facilities each of Shankarapur Municipality, Budhanilkantha Municipality and Nagarjun Municipality meet the standards.

The health office has not carried out inspection of the construction standard of the private health facilities operating in the district but past study shows that over 95 percent hospitals have been operating from residential buildings. Those health facilities operating in the rented residential buildings neither have proper patient safety measures nor are equipped to withstand disasters like earthquake and fire.

Officials say that they are aware that buildings that are currently being used by private hospitals were built many years ago and do not meet the basic criteria as they aren’t equipped with emergency entry and exit points, fire escapes, and waiting areas, among others.

Owners of the private hospitals had committed to shift to safer structures within six years in 2013 but they are yet to do so.