NABH SHCO Accreditation for Hospitals up to 50 Beds

Who the SHCO programme is for

NABH created the SHCO programme because small hospitals cannot be judged by the same yardstick as 300-bed institutions. It covers hospitals, nursing homes, day-care centres and super-specialty centres with 50 or fewer sanctioned beds — the backbone of healthcare in district towns: maternity homes, surgical nursing homes, small multi-specialty hospitals, dialysis and day-surgery centres.

To apply you need:

• 50 or fewer sanctioned beds;
• at least six months of operation;
• average bed occupancy of at least 20% over the last three months at the final assessment (25% at surveillance and 30% at renewal, each over the preceding year);
• the SHCO standards implemented for at least three months;
• compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Polyclinics, diagnostic centres and standalone eye or dental hospitals are not eligible. The occupancy figures come from NABH's notification of 20 January 2026, explained in our occupancy norms guide.

SHCO, entry-level or full hospital accreditation?

Fees exclude 18% GST. If you want the strongest recognition and plan to stay small, SHCO is the right target. If cash or time is tight, entry-level certification is a sensible first step — the work carries forward.

The SHCO process

1. Download the SHCO 3rd Edition standards and buy the SHCO guidebook.
2. Implement the standards for three months.
3. Apply online with documents and pay the application fee.
4. NABH conducts a desktop assessment; a pre-assessment is optional.
5. Trained assessors conduct the on-site assessment.
6. Non-conformities are closed with evidence and the committee decides.
7. Surveillance follows in year 2; apply for renewal before the certificate expires.

Where small hospitals usually struggle

In our gap analyses of nursing homes and small hospitals, the same issues recur:

• Round-the-clock medical cover — a qualified duty doctor (RMO) on site 24×7, with a documented roster.
• Nursing documentation — initial assessments, care plans, medication administration records and handover notes filled consistently on every shift.
• OT and labour room protocols — surgical safety checklists, sterilisation records with indicators, consent and anaesthesia records.
• Emergency preparedness — a stocked, checked crash cart, trained staff and a code-blue drill record.
• Infection control on a small budget — hand-hygiene audits, environmental cleaning schedules and biomedical waste segregation that actually happen.
• Licences — fire NOC, biomedical waste authorisation, PC-PNDT for ultrasound and the clinical establishment registration are often expired or in a previous owner's name.

None of these needs a big budget. They need a clear system and people who follow it, which is what we put in place. See how our NABH consultancy works.