India has achieved a historic milestone in strengthening the quality of its public healthcare system, with 50,373 public health facilities certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) as of 31 December 2025. The certifications have been granted under the comprehensive quality framework of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), reflecting a decisive national push towards safe, patient-centred, and equitable healthcare.
This landmark achievement positions India among the few countries to institutionalise quality assurance at such scale across all States and Union Territories, benefiting especially the poor, vulnerable, and marginalised populations.
From 10 Facilities to Over 50,000: A Decade of Transformation
The NQAS journey, launched in 2015, began modestly with just 10 certified District Hospitals. Over the years, the framework was systematically expanded to cover:
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District Hospitals (DHs)
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Sub-District Hospitals (SDHs)
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Community Health Centres (CHCs)
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Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) – Sub Health Centres (SHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Urban PHCs (UPHCs)
A key inflection point came with the introduction of virtual assessments, enabling rapid scaling of certifications:
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6,506 facilities in December 2023
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22,786 facilities in December 2024
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50,373 facilities by December 2025
Of these, 48,663 are Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, while 1,710 are secondary care facilities, demonstrating deep institutionalisation of quality across all tiers of public healthcare.
Driving Universal Health Coverage
The expansion of NQAS directly supports India’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as outlined in the National Health Policy 2017, which prioritises quality, affordability, and financial protection.
The rapid scale-up has been enabled by:
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Continuous capacity building and training
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Digital innovations and real-time monitoring
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Expansion of the national assessor pool
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Robust continuous quality improvement mechanisms
Aatmanirbhar Bharat in Healthcare
Crossing the 50,000 NQAS milestone is a strong reflection of India’s collective resolve to build a resilient, self-reliant, and high-quality public health system, aligned with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the guiding principles of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas.
The Road Ahead
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to making quality an intrinsic feature of public healthcare delivery. An interim national target has been set to achieve NQAS certification for at least 50% of public healthcare facilities by March 2026, further accelerating India’s journey towards safe, patient-centred, and standardised healthcare for all.
This milestone stands as a powerful testament that quality healthcare is central to India’s development and social equity agenda.
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Source: PIB
