PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 14 -- Prayagraj has emerged as the top-performing district in the division in National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification, with 134 government health facilities securing the quality accreditation, according to health department data. Kaushambi follows with 89 certifications, while Pratapgarh and Fatehpur have secured 80 and 70 certificates, respectively. As of August 11, government health facilities across the division had obtained a total of 373 NQAS certifications. National Health Mission (NHM) divisional project manager Dr Harit Saxena said the division has set a target of 909 NQAS certifications by December 2026. With 373 certifications already secured, the division has achieved 41.03% of its target. The division has also made notable progress in the certification drive, with 25 health facilities securing NQAS accreditation over the past 30 days. Of these, nine are in Prayagraj, 11 in Pratapgarh and five in Fatehpur, Dr Saxena said. NQAS certification is granted to government health facilities that meet prescribed quality standards following an assessment. The programme covers district hospitals, community health centres (CHCs), primary health centres (PHCs) and urban primary health centres (U-PHCs), among other facilities.Health facilities are assessed against 14 prescribed parameters, broadly grouped into eight key areas: service provision, patient rights, inputs, support services, clinical care, infection control, quality management and outcomes. The standards are aimed at helping public health facilities assess and improve service quality while meeting nationally prescribed benchmarks. NQAS standards are also accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), reflecting their alignment with global quality benchmarks. Officials said the certification process aims to improve healthcare delivery, ensure adherence to quality standards and strengthen patient services at government facilities. It is also expected to help improve maternal and infant health outcomes....