How to Choose a NABH Consultant: Fees, NABH MITRA and 12 Questions to Ask

First: do you need a consultant at all?

Not always. NABH accredits facilities, not consultants, and a capable in-house quality lead can prepare a small facility alone:

• Entry-level certification, small facility. NABH's free E-Mitra toolkit gives entry-level applicants department checklists, sample policies, formats and guidelines, plus a readiness screening. With one organised person and management support, many clinics and small hospitals can do this themselves.
• Full accreditation (hospitals, SHCO, AYUSH hospitals, dental). The standard touches every department, and 6th Edition scoring is unforgiving: every Core element must score at least 4 out of 5. Most facilities use a consultant here because a failed assessment costs more, in fees, assessor travel and months lost, than the consultancy.

NABH also runs Programme on Implementation (POI) courses that train your own staff on each standard, which is useful whichever route you take.

What a good NABH consultant actually does

NABH's own description of a MITRA's role is a good checklist for any consultant:

1. Deploys qualified experts and oversees documentation and planning.
2. Gap analysis: a detailed review of current practice against the standard, done on the floor rather than in an office.
3. Guidance on NABH policies, procedures and compliance.
4. Documentation: manuals, policies, SOPs and record formats in line with the standards.
5. Staff training: interactive sessions for every category of staff.
6. Process support throughout, including the NABH portal and application.
7. Progress reports and a final report, so you can see what was done.

To that we would add three things that decide whether you pass: an audit of statutory licences before anything else, quality indicators set up with NABH's definitions (see our NABH quality indicators list), and a scored mock assessment before you apply.

NABH MITRA: the official route for consultants

On 10 September 2025 NABH launched the MITRA Empanelment Programme (MEP). NABH says the aim is to help hospitals, especially in Tier 2, 3 and 4 cities, find "trusted, ethical, and qualified" support.

Two categories

How empanelment works: an online application, review by NABH's MITRA Empanelment Committee and a virtual interaction, then a mandatory in-person course with an exam (the 5-day MITRA course costs ₹25,000 + GST). That leads to provisional empanelment. Final empanelment comes after the MITRA facilitates at least one hospital's NABH certification or accreditation and that hospital gives NABH formal feedback. Final MITRAs receive a NABH certificate and unique ID, can use "NABH MITRA" on their visiting cards, and are to be listed on NABH's website with their contact details, expertise, verified credentials and region.

Rules that protect hospitals

• Current active NABH assessors cannot be MITRAs, because of the conflict of interest.
• MITRAs must not communicate with NABH assessors or take part in assessments on behalf of hospitals they have guided.
• Franchising, subcontracting or transferring assignments is prohibited.
• The hospital names its MITRA when applying to NABH. NABH collects hospital feedback and maintains a performance rating for each MITRA.
• Complaints go to the MITRA Empanelment Committee, which can remove a MITRA from the panel.

The first application window closed on 31 March 2026, and NABH limits each training course to about 50 participants. MITRA status is therefore a useful check but a new one. Ask whether a consultant is empanelled (provisional or final) and check NABH's website, then use the questions below for everyone you are considering.

What a NABH consultant costs

The one published reference point comes from NABH itself. A MITRA's NABH Introductory Consultation Package is priced at ₹10,000 plus taxes per hospital visit, excluding travel and stay. It covers a one-time session on the applicable standards, NABH's process and timelines, typical costs and benefits. Beyond that, NABH leaves pricing to the hospital and the MITRA.

Full project fees vary with:

• the programme (entry-level or full accreditation) and the facility's size;
• readiness: whether licences are in order and how much documentation exists;
• the number of on-site days for gap analysis, training and mock assessment;
• distance and travel.

Our NABH projects start from ₹1.5 lakh, government empanelment from ₹50,000 and licences from ₹25,000. NABH's own fees and GST are separate and paid directly to NABH; see NABH accreditation fees for every programme.

When you compare quotes, compare what is included: on-site days, who does the training, whether a scored mock assessment and non-conformity closure are covered, and support until the certificate. Pay against milestones such as the gap report, documents, mock assessment and application, not everything upfront.

Red flags

• A guarantee. No consultant decides accreditation. NABH's assessors and accreditation committee do.
• "We know the assessors." Besides breaking MITRA rules, this is how facilities end up with adverse decisions.
• A ready-made manual with another hospital's name still in it. Assessors interview staff, and documents nobody follows fail.
• A fixed timeline quoted without seeing your facility.
• A promise of a certificate in weeks. NABH requires at least three months of implementation before you apply.
• No references you can check. Every accredited client can be verified on NABH's directory; here is how to verify NABH accreditation.
• The person who sells is not the person who does the work, and you never meet who does.

12 questions to ask before you sign

1. Which NABH programme and edition fits us, and why?
2. Who will personally do the gap analysis, training and mock assessment?
3. How many on-site days are included, and what happens remotely?
4. Which accredited facilities have you supported that I can verify on nabh.co?
5. Will the documents be written around our processes, and do we own them?
6. How will you train staff who miss sessions, such as night shift, housekeeping and security?
7. Will you set up our quality indicators to NABH's definitions?
8. Is a scored mock assessment included before we apply?
9. Will you audit our statutory licences first?
10. What is the payment schedule, and what is excluded (NABH fees, GST, travel)?
11. If assessors raise non-conformities, is closure support included?
12. Are you a NABH MITRA, provisional or final, or have you applied?

How we work

Dr. Ashutosh Sharma leads every project personally, from the free eligibility call and on-site gap analysis to training, mock assessment and non-conformity closure. Each stage ends with a written deliverable, and AYUSH and dental programmes are a speciality. See how our NABH consultancy works, or ask for a free gap assessment and put the 12 questions above to us first.