Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  In what is seen as a major blow, the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi government-run mental health and psychiatry hospital, has lost its NABH accreditation. 

The hospital had been hit by several issues, including non-promotion of existing faculty staff and shortage of manpower in the scientific faculty department. 

The hospital, located in Dilshad Garden, was established in 1993 and is an autonomous body. Between 2012 and 2018, it was recognised three times for being the largest psychiatric hospital in north India.
“We are disappointed and troubled, not for the credibility but that majority of the staffs have worked for over a long period, around more than 10-15 years.

Whatever issues have been highlighted and pointed out by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) will surely be acted upon. The IHBAS was one of the earliest hospitals in the city to be accredited by the NABH. We will work to retain it,” said Dr Nimesh Desai, director, IHBAS. 

Sources said due to no timely promotion, a large number of doctors are being forced to leave the institute seeking other options. This is the reason why the hospital is operating on less than half its faculty strength. Only 25 faculty remain in the institute out of a possible 103. In the psychiatry department, nine doctors are left out of 12 while in neurology three are left out of five. 

“NABH is after all external validation. That is not going to take away our determination towards our duty nor discourage us. Rather, our efforts are going to get stronger. There is not going to be any change in how we work and the services catered to our patients, we won’t let them down. The state health ministry has been appraised of the situation. So, we are going to apply again for our accreditation by NABH,” added Dr Desai. Started in the year 2005 NABH is a hospital accreditation programme to improve healthcare quality and patient safety at hospitals.