GURUGRAM: Although Haryana leads other states with the highest number of healthcare centres certified for their infrastructure under the Centre’s National Quality Assurance Programme (NQAP), these facilities have failed to inspire much confidence among its residents.
While many remain unaware of the public healthcare units, others refrain from visiting them, wary of their condition and hygiene.

Residents in Gurugram said the general perception of such facilities is that they are overcrowded, ill-equipped and unhygienic. “I have not visited any government facilities fearing they might not be maintained properly,” said Gautam Rahi, a South City-2 resident.
Another resident, Rupesh Kumar, said he doesn’t know where Civil Hospital is.
The quality certification programme was launched with the aim to recognise well-performing public health facilities and also to improve the credibility of government hospitals. The quality standards are arranged under eight ‘areas of concern’ – services, patient rights, inputs, support services, clinical care, infection control, quality management and outcome.
At present, Haryana has 571 government hospitals, primary and urban healthcare centres, out of which 91 have been certified for 2019-20. Its performance vis-à-vis quality certification has steadily improved in the past five years. While only 13 facilities had NQAP certificates in 2016-17, the number rose to 41 next year and to 86 the year after that.
Acknowledging that people tend to stay away from public facilities, Dr Sonia Trikha, director, health services, Haryana, and Haryana State Health Resource Centre executive director, said that the government was working on this aspect. “We want to ensure that not just the facilities, but also the surroundings and the nearby roads, are clean and properly maintained, which will encourage more people to visit them,” she added.
She said over the past few years, the state has made an effort to raise the standards of facilities. In 2016, four facilities identified by the health department were ramped up for certification, she said. The government said many steps have been taken, like setting up of herbal gardens and boundary walls, ensuring clean toilets, dedicated areas for biomedical waste, coloured dustbins and cleaning nearby streets.
A visit to some centres, including a few in Gurugram, revealed cattle-free units with proper boundary walls and green belts. In many places, paintings are put up on walls, and gardens have been maintained. “At the primary healthcare centre in Bharawas, Rewari, toilets have been renovated. Medicines in its pharmacy store have been alphabetically arranged. We have four such PHCs in Gurugram as well,” Dr Trikha said.