The Union Government of India has revealed plans to revamp medical education standards in India to enhance patient care and education quality.

According to Mint, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is developing a checklist of standards for medical colleges, hospitals, laboratories, and critical care units in India to improve patient safety and clinical training.

The new National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) will establish measurable indicators for departments and specialty units. As a result, by employing these indicators, hospitals will be able to more transparently follow results and assist patients in making informed decisions about their care.

According to officials, the new framework was addressed during the 11th Central Quality Supervisory Committee meeting in August. It denotes a shift toward evidence-based, outcome-driven oversight of medical education and hospital operations.

The meeting also focused on the development of standards for medical colleges, block public health laboratories (BPHLs), and critical care blocks (CCBs).

In this regard, the official document stated, "The standards and measurable elements specific to medical college hospitals under NQAS have been finalised, and it was decided to constitute specialty-wise working groups to develop department-specific assessment checklists."

Officials familiar with the meeting told Mint that, the first working group has already met to frame quality standards for hospitals attached to medical colleges, and a draft has already been prepared specifying that the standards, and measurable elements for block public health labs and the work to develop a checklist aligned with operational guidelines is in progress.

The government's move to create this quality checklist for medical institutions comes amid growing concern about the uneven quality of healthcare delivery. Previously, The Lancet calculated that inadequate medical care kills over 1.6 million people in India every year.