NABH Accreditation: Programmes, Process and Fees

What NABH accreditation actually certifies

NABH standards describe how a healthcare organisation should run so that care is safe and consistent: how patients are assessed and handed over, how medicines are stored and given, how infections are prevented, how staff are credentialed and trained, how the building is kept safe and how quality is measured and improved. Accreditation is NABH's on-site confirmation that your facility does these things — and can prove it with records.

It is not a licence to operate. Your clinical establishment registration, fire NOC, biomedical waste authorisation, AERB registration and other statutory approvals are separate, and NABH assessors will ask to see all of them. Missing licences are one of the commonest reasons an application stalls, which is why we sort them out first. See licences and registrations.

Which programme fits your facility?

NABH runs different programmes because a 300-bed hospital, a four-chair dental clinic and a Panchakarma day-care centre face very different risks. The programme is decided mainly by three things:

1. System of medicine — allopathic, AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, Homoeopathy) or dental.
2. Size — sanctioned beds for hospitals, dental chairs for dental clinics, Panchakarma tables for Panchakarma clinics, daily patients for laboratories.
3. Ambition — an entry-level certification to start, or full accreditation.

The table above compares every programme we handle. If your facility does not fit neatly — a hospital with an AYUSH wing, a dental college with in-patient beds, a polyclinic with a lab — ask us; choosing the wrong programme wastes months.

How the NABH process works

The sequence is broadly the same across programmes:

1. Buy the standards and guidebook for your programme from NABH.
2. Implement the standards for at least three months — policies, processes, training, committees, records and quality indicators.
3. Apply online on the NABH portal with your documents and the application fee.
4. Desktop assessment — NABH reviews your documents (hospital, SHCO and entry-level programmes).
5. On-site assessment by trained NABH assessors, who interview staff, trace patients and check records.
6. Close non-conformities with evidence within the time allowed.
7. Accreditation decision, followed by surveillance assessments and renewal on the programme's cycle.

Our full method, step by step, is on how our NABH consultancy works. For a deeper walk-through of each stage, read the NABH accreditation process guide.

What NABH accreditation costs

NABH publishes its fees by programme and size. A few examples, excluding 18% GST:

On top of NABH's fees you should budget for assessor travel and stay (borne by the applicant), any infrastructure fixes the gap analysis reveals, staff time and consultancy. The complete fee breakdown for every programme is in our guide to NABH accreditation cost in 2026.

Why facilities pursue NABH

• Payment rates. Under the CGHS package rates in force from 13 October 2025, non-NABH hospitals are paid 15% below the NABH-accredited base rate. Under AB-PMJAY's quality certification, hospitals earn 5%, 10% or 15% extra on packages at Bronze, Silver (NABH entry-level) and Gold (NABH or NQAS accreditation) levels. See CGHS and PMJAY.
• Insurance. Insurers and TPAs prefer — and for AYUSH treatment often require — accredited facilities. See TPA and insurance empanelment.
• Patient trust. The NABH mark is recognised by patients, referring doctors and corporate clients.
• Better internal systems. Done properly, the work leaves you with clear processes, trained staff and data on infections, falls, medication errors and patient satisfaction — the things that prevent bad outcomes and litigation.

Where NABH applications usually go wrong

From our assessments of hospitals and clinics, the same problems come up again and again:

• Documents copied from another hospital that describe processes staff do not actually follow. Assessors interview nurses and ward boys; a beautiful manual that nobody knows is worse than a simple one everyone follows.
• Statutory licences expired or missing — fire NOC, biomedical waste authorisation, AERB, PC-PNDT, drug licence, lift licence.
• Committees that exist only on paper, with no minutes, no action taken and no follow-up.
• Quality indicators collected but never analysed, so there is no evidence of improvement.
• Medication management gaps — high-alert and look-alike sound-alike medicines not segregated, expired drugs on shelves, incomplete medication charts.
• Weak infection control evidence — no surveillance data, hand-hygiene audits or sterilisation records.

A structured gap analysis and an honest mock assessment catch these before NABH does. That is the core of our consultancy.