Evaluation of quality certification programs for public health facilities in tribal villages of Dahod district, Gujarat

Background: Rural and tribal India poses significant challenges in addressing healthcare quality. Along with healthcare staff, beneficiaries’ perspectives nowadays play a crucial role. The Government Health system has started to implement various quality certification programs (QCPs) like National Quality Assurance Standards, Kayakalp etc. on a wider scale. So, it’s very crucial to measure the results and evaluate the impact of these QCPs on the health system. Aims & Objective: To investigate the impact of quality certification programs for public health facilities in tribal villages. Material and methods: A qualitative study was undertaken in 18 PHCs of one of the tribal blocks of Dahod district. The participants were selected using purposive sampling. The participants included staff working at healthcare facilities and patients who have availed services at those facilities. Qualitative data was collected using in-person in-depth interviews (IDI). A total of 19 health staff and 23 patient IDIs were conducted. The audio recording was done for the interviews. Later on, process of transcribed verbatim and manual thematic analysis was done. Result: The transcripts’ manual thematic analysis part produced 12 different categories, 6 different sub-themes and 3 major themes, while the staff part, yielded 16 different categories, 6 different sub-themes and 3 major themes. Beneficiaries were satisfied with a noticeable improvement in healthcare services. Staff found these programs helpful but predominantly raised concerns about the implementation of QCPs. Conclusion: QCPs have demonstrated a significant positive impact on healthcare services; it's very promising specifically in the context of rural and tribal health facilities. These programs hold great promise as they enable and empower these facilities to achieve quality and higher standards with the availability of better care.