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 In a decisive move to uphold patient trust and enhance transparency in the healthcare system, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) has instructed all healthcare organizations (HCOs) to ensure that their facility names accurately represent the services they provide.
Amid growing concerns over discrepancies and potentially misleading naming practices by some healthcare establishments, Dr. Atul Mohan Kochhar, CEO of NABH, emphasized that "The name of a healthcare organization should never imply services that do not exist within the facility. This is to maintain transparency, trust, and clarity for patients and the general public."
The directive is part of NABH’s broader commitment to ensuring ethical standards and clear communication between healthcare providers and the public. The new guidelines call for immediate review and alignment of facility names with the actual services provided on-site.
In this regard, HCOs are advised that names suggesting specialized or super-specialty care must be supported by actual, verifiable availability of those services. It has also been notified that misrepresentation of services through the name of the facility is strictly discouraged and may lead to adverse decisions. The name of the HCO provided in the application form must match exactly with the name mentioned on the registration certificate (RC).
All HCOs are requested to review their current naming conventions and make modifications, if necessary, to comply with these guidelines.
The directive addresses a critical issue affecting patient rights and informed decision-making. Misleading facility names can create false expectations, particularly when critical or specialized care is assumed to be available but is not.
This directive aligns with NABH’s mission to build a more accountable, transparent, and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem in India. It also serves as a reminder that ethical branding is not optional—it is foundational.
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