The Hindu Business Line : Birla heart centre gets accreditation

The city-based B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre (BMHRC) has become the first hospital in the country to be given accreditation by the National Board of Accreditation (NABH) for hospitals and healthcare providers for meeting proper standards in hospital operations. This was announced here on Wednesday by Mr M.L. Pachisia, Member of the governing body of the heart research centre.

The accreditation was won after competing with at least six leading hospitals in the country.

BMHRC, a part of the GK-CK Birla Group outfit, was established about 15 years ago as a private hospital for cardio thoracic vascular surgery. Since its foundation, the hospital has, so far, done about 15,000 cases of open heart surgery.

Mr Pachisia said the cost of treatment at the research centre was about two-and-half times less than the cost of similar treatment in Mumbai, Delhi or Chennai. Even so, local people preferred to go outside the State for treatment because they were not aware of the medical facilities here, he said.

In view of the country emerging as a centre of excellence in the medical field, it was decided in 2004 by the Union Government as well as the healthcare industry that Indian standards should be developed in line with international norms. NABH was subsequently formed in 2005, consisting of a council of 23 members and an 11-member board. The Chairman of the council is a nominee of the Prime Minister.

Mr Pachisia said thecentre had ambitious plans to set up a series of greenfield hospital projects and diagnostic centres in different parts of the country.

For this purpose, the hospital authorities have approached the West Bengal Government for land at Rajarhat, Siliguri, Haldia and also in the city. This apart, it has plans to set up a hospital in Jaipur and a diagnostic centre in Bangalore.