National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers
Prepare your hospital or clinic for NABH accreditation with a clear plan, the right documents and staff who are ready for assessment.
- Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and dental
- Entry Level to full accreditation
- Gap analysis, documents, training, assessment support
NABH accreditation is India’s national quality mark for hospitals and healthcare providers, run by a constituent board of the Quality Council of India. This guide explains which NABH programme fits your facility, the current standards, official fees, the step-by-step process and what changed in 2025-2026. Medasus Healthcare, Bengaluru, prepares hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and dental centres for NABH across Karnataka.
NABH guide: all topics
What is NABH?
NABH stands for the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers. It sets standards for patient safety and quality and assesses healthcare organisations against them using independent, NABH-empanelled assessors. Its standards are majorly divided into patient-centric and organisation-centric areas: the care continuum and outcomes, patient rights, medication management and infection control, facility management and human resources.
Why hospitals get NABH accredited
- Empanelment: increasingly required by government schemes and insurers for cashless treatment
- Faster KPME in Karnataka: under the 2026 KPME amendment, NABH-accredited facilities get registration or renewal within 10 days without inspection
- Patient trust: a recognised national quality mark
- Safer care: structured systems for infection control, medication safety and incident reporting
- Better operations: clear SOPs, trained staff and measured quality indicators
See also top 5 benefits of NABH.
Which NABH programme fits your facility?
| Your facility | Usual NABH route |
|---|---|
| Hospital with more than 50 beds | Hospital Accreditation (HCO), 6th edition standards |
| Hospital or nursing home with 50 beds or fewer | SHCO Accreditation, or Entry Level certification as a first step |
| Hospital starting its quality journey (up to 300 beds) | Entry Level certification (2nd edition standards) |
| Allopathic clinic or polyclinic | Allopathic Clinics Accreditation |
| Dental clinic or hospital | Dental Healthcare Service Providers Accreditation, or Entry Level Dental Clinics certification |
| Eye hospital | Eye Care Organisations Accreditation |
| Imaging centre | Medical Imaging Services Accreditation |
| AYUSH hospital or centre | AYUSH Hospitals Accreditation or Entry Level AYUSH certification |
| Blood centre | Blood Banks / Blood Centres Accreditation |
| Laboratory | NABH Medical Laboratory certification (full lab accreditation is through NABL) |
NABH’s own guidance: larger hospitals (more than 50 beds) typically choose Hospital Accreditation, while 50 beds or fewer may choose SHCO Accreditation or Entry Level certification. Details: Entry Level, SHCO, clinics and dental.
NABH accreditation process
- Choose the right programme for your facility type and bed strength.
- Get the standards and run a gap analysis against every objective element.
- Implement: policies and SOPs, committees, training, records, quality indicators, infection control, facility safety.
- Self-assessment to confirm readiness.
- Apply online on the NABH portal and pay the fees.
- Onsite assessment by NABH-empanelled assessors (for hospital accreditation, a pre-assessment comes first).
- Close non-conformities within the time NABH gives.
- Accreditation or certification granted, followed by surveillance assessment and renewal.
Full detail and the document list: NABH accreditation process and documents.
NABH fees at a glance
Official annual accreditation fees from 1 April 2024 (NABH notification NABH/Gen/2024/1840):
| Programme | Sanctioned beds | Annual accreditation fee |
|---|---|---|
| SHCO accreditation | Up to 50 | Rs 1,50,000 + 18% GST |
| Hospital accreditation (HCO) | Up to 100 | Rs 2,00,000 + 18% GST |
| 101 to 300 | Rs 3,00,000 + 18% GST | |
| 301 to 500 | Rs 4,00,000 + 18% GST | |
| 501 and above | Rs 5,00,000 + 18% GST |
Entry Level certification (from 1 June 2025, 2-year cycle, paid upfront):
| Sanctioned beds | Fee for the 2-year cycle (paid upfront) |
|---|---|
| Up to 5 | Rs 21,000 |
| 6 to 20 | Rs 40,000 |
| 21 to 50 | Rs 80,000 |
| 51 to 100 | Rs 1,60,000 |
| 101 to 300 | Rs 2,00,000 |
| More than 300 | Not available from 1 October 2026; use Hospital Accreditation |
Application and assessment charges are separate. See the full NABH fees page.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- 6th edition hospital standards effective from 1 January 2025. See 6th edition standards.
- Entry Level certification 2nd edition effective from 1 January 2026; no new or renewal applications on the 1st edition after 31 December 2025.
- New Entry Level fees from 1 June 2025; the introductory rebate ended on 30 September 2026.
- Hospitals above 300 beds can no longer apply for Entry Level certification from 1 October 2026 and should move to Hospital Accreditation.
- KPME link in Karnataka: NABH accreditation now fast-tracks KPME registration and renewal.
How Medasus helps
- Programme selection and a written gap analysis against the current standards
- Policies, SOPs, manuals, registers and committee structures tailored to your hospital
- Staff training: infection control, medication safety, patient rights, fire and disaster drills
- Quality indicators, audits and incident reporting set-up
- Mock assessment before NABH’s pre-assessment and final assessment, and help closing non-conformities
- Infrastructure and equipment gaps fixed through our hospital set-up team and equipment store
Get a free NABH readiness check
Tell us your facility type, number of beds and city. We will suggest the right NABH programme, estimate the effort and fees, and list the gaps to close first.
NABH accreditation: frequently asked questions
What is NABH accreditation?
What is the full form of NABH?
Is NABH accreditation mandatory?
Which NABH programme is right for my hospital?
How much does NABH accreditation cost?
How long is NABH accreditation valid?
Which edition of the NABH hospital standards applies now?
How do I verify a NABH certificate?
Does Medasus give NABH accreditation?
See all NABH questions and answers
Planning NABH?
Talk to the Medasus quality team in Bengaluru. We handle gap analysis, documentation, staff training and assessment preparation.
Last reviewed on 2 November 2026 against: NABH official website; NABH FAQs for hospitals; NABH accreditation, certification and empanelment programmes; NABH notification NABH/Gen/2024/6413: implementation plan of the 6th edition hospital standards; NABH notification NABH/Gen/2024/1840: revised fee structure for hospital and SHCO accreditation from 1 April 2024; NABH notification NABH/Gen/2025/3798: Entry Level certification rationalised fee from 1 June 2025; NABH notification NABH/Gen/2025/10805: 2nd edition Entry Level certification standards. Medasus Healthcare Pvt Ltd is an independent consultancy and is not part of NABH or the Quality Council of India. Accreditation and certification are granted only by NABH after its own assessment; Medasus cannot guarantee results or timelines. Fees and rules change, so check nabh.co before applying.
