🌿 ESG INSIGHTS: EPISODE 1 NABH Standards for Hospitals & Healthcare Units

The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India, which lays down standards for quality healthcare delivery. While NABH does not explicitly use the term "ESG" (Environmental, Social, and Governance) in its framework, many of the core elements of ESG are embedded within the NABH hospital accreditation standards—particularly in areas related to:

✅ Mapping ESG Practices in NABH Standards

1. ENVIRONMENTAL (E)

NABH encourages hospitals to adopt eco-friendly practices that minimize environmental impact.

📘 NABH Standards Relevant:

• Facility Management and Safety (FMS) Chapter

  • FMS.4: Hospital shall comply with statutory norms for fire safety, waste management, water, and air pollution.

  • FMS.6: Hospital shall have a program for monitoring and managing hazardous materials.

  • FMS.10: Hospital shall take actions to reduce its energy and water consumption and waste generation.

🌱 ESG Focus Areas:

• Biomedical waste management

• Energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems

• Water conservation and rainwater harvesting

• Green building practices

• Pollution control and effluent treatment systems

2. SOCIAL (S)

NABH emphasizes patient safety, employee welfare, community health, and ethical medical care—all aligning with the social dimension of ESG.

📘 NABH Standards Relevant:

• Care of Patients (COP)

• Patient Rights and Education (PRE)

• Human Resource Management (HRM)

• Community-Oriented Activities

🤝 ESG Focus Areas:

• Patient dignity, consent, and privacy (PRE)

• Equitable access to healthcare

• Training and well-being of healthcare staff (HRM)

• Engagement in health camps and community health (PRE.8)

• Occupational health and safety for staff

3. GOVERNANCE (G)

NABH stresses ethical governance, transparent documentation, risk management, and compliance with legal frameworks.

📘 NABH Standards Relevant:

• Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)

• Information Management System (IMS)

• Responsibility of Management (ROM)

🏛️ ESG Focus Areas:

• Leadership accountability (ROM.1–3)

• Institutional ethics committee (COP.10)

• Data protection and patient confidentiality (IMS.6)

• Compliance with national laws and healthcare regulations

• Internal audit, root cause analysis, and corrective action (CQI)

📌 Summary Table: ESG in NABH Standards

ESG Pillar	NABH Chapter	Key Focus Areas
E - Environmental	FMS	Waste management, pollution control, energy/water conservation
S - Social	COP, PRE, HRM	Patient rights, staff welfare, community health
G - Governance	ROM, CQI, IMS	Leadership, data security, compliance, internal audit

💡 Suggestion for Hospitals:

To demonstrate ESG alignment under NABH:

• Maintain an ESG dashboard aligned with NABH standards.

• Integrate sustainability reporting with hospital quality indicators.

• Train staff on ESG awareness and reporting.

🤝 How We Support the ESG Journey in Hospitals

Achieving ESG alignment in a hospital goes beyond policies—it requires structured implementation, tracking, and continuous improvement. Our trained ESG team, with deep experience in healthcare systems and compliance frameworks like NABH, can help hospitals take a practical, measurable, and strategic approach to ESG.

Our Support Includes:

🔹 ESG Gap Assessment

• Benchmarking current NABH practices against global ESG frameworks

• Identifying opportunities across environment, social impact, and governance

🔹 Custom ESG Roadmap & Policy Design

• ESG policy tailored to the hospital’s operations and scale

• Goal setting and integration with existing SOPs and accreditation requirements

🔹 Training & Capacity Building

• Workshops for management and clinical teams on ESG awareness and responsibilities

• Hands-on training for operational teams in environmental practices and compliance

🔹 ESG Metrics & Reporting Tools

• Development of dashboards and KPIs for internal monitoring and external reporting

• Guidance on aligning with GRI, BRSR (India), and healthcare sustainability standards

🔹 Audit-Readiness & Continuous Improvement

• ESG compliance audits to supplement NABH preparedness

• Continuous improvement plans aligned with accreditation cycles