For SafeCare, stories of change always go hand in hand with collaboration. In India, SafeCare has expanded its impact through a partnership with Manyata, a quality improvement and certification pan-India initiative offered by the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) for private facilities providing maternal care. This partnership has served as the catalyst for meaningful changes in quality assessment and improvement.

India’s healthcare landscape is a complex mosaic of public and private sectors, with the private sector accounting for more than half of all healthcare services. Despite making significant strides in improving quality, the sector remains inadequately monitored and regulated. Inconsistent care places patients and expectant mothers at considerable risk of complications and mortality.

FOGSI, with its 266 member societies and over 40,000 individual members, considers reducing maternal mortality ratio its primary mission. “Promoting quality care is key,” says Dr. Hrishikesh D. Pai, President of FOGSI. “The vast majority of maternal deaths and stillbirths are preventable when adequate care is given. But to sustainably improve the quality, we need reliable data to show the status of quality, see the gaps, and identify the priorities.”

Co-creating a digital assessment tool

This is where the SafeCare collaboration came in, as Dr. Pai explained: “Together we created a digital assessment tool that enables collecting, processing, and presenting quality data to all stakeholders involved. It transformed the way quality monitoring is done.”

So far, 427 Manyata health facilities in 149 districts across 23 states have received a quality assessment through the tool, reflecting the rapid scaling of the tool in only one year. To make this happen, the team first worked through the challenging process of setting the initial groundwork.

“We know that from our work in sub-Saharan Africa, success is only possible if tools and methods are seamlessly aligned with what is already in place in terms of clinical standards and structures,” says Roelinde Bakker, Head of SafeCare Quality Expansion. “Manyata has been an invaluable partner in this alignment process, as has MSD for Mothers, who generously contributed to the setting up of Manyata and the launch of the tool in India.”

A crucial component is the role of the local assessors, who receive detailed training to carry out quality assessments. Assessors enter data gathered at the facilities via an application on their mobile phones. Scoring can be done both online and offline, and the data is then uploaded to a central database. The digital Manyata assessment tool generates actionable reports and certificates for facilities, as well as dashboards that all stakeholders can access. “The digital assessment tool has helped Manyata to be more efficient and transparent in their assesments. Additionally, continuous training, coordination, and ownership by NPMU FOGSI were key to success of the effective rollout of the digital assessment tool,” says Dr. Tarun Singh Sodha, Project Lead – SafeCare.

Implementation of a digital Quality Platform

Pilot testing for the Manyata Quality platform is now underway. The platform is introduced at 25 facilities throughout different regions of India at first, and then it will be expanded gradually, incorporating lessons learned. The solution gives stakeholders access to information on app usage, library downloads, task execution, the progress of facilities on the quality improvement path.

The Manyata Quality Analytics Platform is operational and will serve as a one-stop shop for both Quality Assessment (QA) and Quality Improvement (QI) data. The information will be utilized for impact measurement, monitoring, and feedback to improve and sustain the Manyata ecosystem.

Further growth with new collaborations for SafeCare in India

 SafeCare’s primary objectives for the forthcoming years encompass securing the long-term sustainability of the Manyata program within the healthcare ecosystem in India, as well as extending our reach to new partners. The establishment of a SafeCare Foundation office in India offers a platform to foster new connections and networks.

India faces a substantial unmet demand for quality healthcare services within its small and middle-level hospitals. These facilities play a pivotal role in delivering preventive healthcare to the lower and middle-income population to attain our aim of ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare, we are actively exploring collaborative opportunities with partners to enhance the quality assurance mechanisms in such healthcare facilities.

At present, our team is deliberating on various options to engage with both public and private sector stakeholders, with the aim of fortifying the quality assurance and enhancement initiatives across healthcare facilities.

This program is supported by funding from MSD, through MSD for Mothers, the company’s global initiative to help create a world where no woman has to die while giving life. MSD for Mothers is an initiative of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, U.S.A.

Read more about Manyata.

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Read more about SafeCare in the latest PharmAccess Progress Report.