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Quality Assurance and Standardization Division (QASD)

Background

The Quality Assurance and Standardization Division (QASD) of the Ministry of Health (MoH) was established in 2002 to improve the quality of health service delivery as per the recommendation of the Good Governance (GG+) Plus exercise.

In the 11th five-year plan under the Accelerated Bhutan Social Economic Development (ABSED) programme, the QASD adopted and implemented the Hospital Administration and Management Transformation (HAMT) system to improve the quality of healthcare services in the country. The HAMT has laid the foundations for a quality system in healthcare centres throughout the country by implementing and monitoring 18 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

To further improve the Bhutanese healthcare services to international standards, the Bhutan HealthCare Standard for Quality Assurance (BHSQA) was adopted and implemented by the QASD in the 12th five-year plan with support from the ADB project. The BHSQA was developed by the Bhutan Standard Bureau (BSB) in collaboration with the MoH, and it has 106 standards, 639 objective elements, and 68 KPIs based on NABH, ISQUA, and ISO standards.

Currently, the QASD is vigorously implementing BSHQA standards at all levels of healthcare centres and continually monitoring their implementation to assure optimal health care service delivery.


Vision Statement

A nation with high-quality healthcare services.


Mission Statement

To institute an effective quality management system (QMS) in all healthcare centres, ensure continuous quality improvement (CQI), and promote innovative healthcare management practices.


Mandates
  • Promote quality culture or institute effective QMS in healthcare centres across the country for optimal healthcare service delivery.
  • Evaluate or audit healthcare centres’ QMS and provide appropriate recommendations to concerned individuals and organisations for CQI.
  • Develop and implement quality-related standards, guidelines, and policies, as well as facilitate healthcare centre accreditation and certification.
  • Plan, execute, and publish quality-related research for broader correspondence.
  • Evaluate the impact of healthcare-related programmes on the delivery of quality healthcare services and take the appropriate actions if required. 
  • Enhance the quality-related knowledge and competence of healthcare personnel.