India surpasses 50,000 NQAS-certified health facilities, marking major leap in public healthcare quality

India has achieved a major milestone in strengthening its public healthcare system, with over 50,000 government health facilities now certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS). As of December 31, 2025, a total of 50,373 public health institutions across all States and Union Territories have received the certification, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

The achievement underscores the government’s sustained focus on quality, safety and patient-centric care, particularly for economically weaker and vulnerable sections of society. Officials described the milestone as a significant step towards ensuring equitable access to high-quality healthcare services nationwide.

From Pilot to Nationwide Quality Framework

Launched in 2015, the NQAS programme began modestly with just 10 certified facilities, initially limited to district hospitals. Over the past decade, the framework has expanded steadily to cover sub-district hospitals, community health centres (CHCs), primary health centres (PHCs), urban PHCs, and sub-health centres under the Ayushman Arogya Mandir initiative.

The introduction of virtual assessments has played a critical role in accelerating the certification process, enabling faster and wider coverage. The number of certified facilities rose sharply from 6,506 in December 2023 to 22,786 in December 2024, before more than doubling to 50,373 by the end of 2025.

Quality Across All Levels of Care

Of the total certified facilities, 48,663 are Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, including sub-health centres, rural and urban PHCs, while 1,710 are secondary-care institutions such as CHCs, sub-district hospitals and district hospitals. This distribution highlights the institutionalisation of quality standards across both primary and secondary levels of public healthcare.

Supporting Universal Health Coverage

The expansion of NQAS aligns with India’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under the National Health Policy 2017, which prioritises affordable, accessible and quality healthcare without financial hardship. The ministry attributes the rapid progress to a multi-pronged strategy, including large-scale capacity building, digital innovations, an expanded pool of trained assessors, and continuous quality improvement mechanisms.

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Way Forward

Crossing the 50,000 mark is being seen as a reflection of India’s broader vision of building a resilient and self-reliant healthcare system, in line with the principles of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas.

The government has reiterated its commitment to sustaining the momentum, setting an interim target of certifying at least 50 per cent of all public healthcare facilities by March 2026. The aim, officials said, is to ensure that quality becomes an intrinsic and permanent feature of public healthcare delivery across the country.