India Tourism Ministry issues guidelines on wellness centres

The Indian government has issued a set of guidelines to standardise the quality of service at wellness centres.

The Indian government has issued a set of guidelines to standardise the quality of service at wellness centres.

The Ministry of Tourism has released new regulations and accreditation standards formulated by The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) for AYUSH facilities in the country that are used by domestic and international health tourists.

Regulations apply to-

• Ayurveda hospitals
• Yoga and naturopathy hospitals
• Unani hospitals
• Sidha hospitals
• Homeopathy hospitals
• Panchkarma clinics
• Wellness centres
• Spas
• Fitness and skin care centres

Accreditation against globally benchmarked standards will help the industry in providing a uniform level of service quality.

The Ministry of Tourism is offering market development assistance grants only to NABH accredited wellness centres, hospitals and medical tourism agents. These grants can be used for participation in events related to promotion of medical and wellness tourism outside India.

All accredited service providers will be listed on the Ministry of Tourism website and in the Incredible India campaign which has a global reach.

The new standards focus on all aspects of service delivery including customer rights, education, infection control practises, trained and experienced staff, infrastructure, environment safety, processes and controls, statutory and regulatory compliances.

A Mark of Excellence will be provided to the accredited centres to provide confidence to tourists and locals that the centres are providing services as per global standards and by credentialed staff.

The accreditation process will involve a review of the documentation and two on-site visits by trained assessors from NABH. Communication will be maintained throughout the entire process between the applicant organisation and NABH, making the entire process transparent. Renewal of accreditation has to be done every three years.

Strict guidelines have been provided for such centres while seeking accreditation and delay in providing any information to NABH could lead to cancellation of the application for accreditation.

While the accreditation exercise is a voluntary programme, the ministry has incentivised it, making it worth their while for such centres to seek NABHs mark of excellence.

Wellness centres abiding by the guidelines will be listed on Incredible India website with a link to their own web page, making it a credible destination for tourists. They will have the right to display the new NABH Mark of Excellence and the Ministry of Tourism approved logo at appropriate locations.

The accredited centres will also get financial support for developing publicity material with the ministry providing financial help.

All organisations that are already accredited and/or qualified and/or certified by NAAC, NABH, ISO-9004, Indian Yoga Association (IYA), Centre of Excellence (CoE), Organisations affiliated by universities, approved integrative hospitals and government AYUSH institutions and Green Leaf / Olive Leaf organisations approved by Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala have been listed on the Ministry of Tourism website.