Health care must be measured in patient safety

This article is authored by NK Ganguly, former director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

India’s health care transformation over the past decade has been extraordinary. Through Ayushman Bharat, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, expansion of AIIMS and medical colleges, stronger district hospitals, and greater access to advanced diagnostics and therapies, the Government of India has fundamentally reshaped the country’s healthcare landscape. The conversation today is no longer confined to expanding access. It is increasingly about delivering quality health care that is safe, reliable and trusted.

Health care (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File) (AP)

As India progresses towards the vision of Viksit Bharat, the next phase of health care reform should be measured not only by the number of hospitals built or the volume of patients treated, but by a far more fundamental question: How consistently does the health care system protect patients from avoidable harm?

Patient safety must now become India’s next health care priority. Around the world, health systems that command public confidence are distinguished not simply by sophisticated technology or modern infrastructure, but by their ability to institutionalise safe clinical practices. Every procedure, every protocol and every patient interaction is supported by systems that minimise risk and promote consistency. This is what transforms health care from being accessible to being dependable.

The challenge before India today is, therefore, not one of policy intent. It is one of implementation. India has consistently demonstrated its ability to design ambitious public health programmes. The next frontier is ensuring that evidence-based safety practices are implemented with the same consistency across every hospital, every department and every clinical procedure. Ultimately, the strength of a health care system is determined not by the policies it announces, but by how effectively those policies are translated into routine clinical practice.

Contrast enhanced imaging provides an important example. Every day, thousands of patients undergo CT scans, MRI examinations and cardiac imaging procedures that depend on automated pressure injectors for precise delivery of contrast media. These systems rely on consumables such as syringes, tubing, connectors and patient lines that manufacturers have validated for single patient use. Adherence to these validated instructions is not simply a technical recommendation. It is an important element of patient safety because these consumables form part of the pathway through which contrast media enters the patient’s bloodstream.

This is not an issue concerning one device or one clinical specialty. It illustrates a broader principle that should guide India’s health care system. When evidence establishes that a medical consumable is intended for single use, consistent adherence should become part of routine clinical practice rather than varying across institutions. As healthcare volumes continue to expand, patient safety should not depend on local interpretation or operational convenience. It should be supported by nationally accepted standards that encourage consistency, accountability and quality.

India, therefore, has an opportunity to strengthen implementation by developing a nationally accepted framework for safe contrast media delivery in consultation with radiologists, infection prevention experts, accreditation bodies, hospital administrators and professional medical societies. Such a framework should encourage standard operating procedures, staff training, documentation, appropriate procurement planning and quality assurance mechanisms that enable hospitals to demonstrate compliance rather than merely assume it. Integrating such practices within accreditation and institutional quality systems would reinforce patient safety without creating unnecessary regulatory burden.

More importantly, this approach establishes a template that extends well beyond diagnostic imaging. Every mature health care system periodically identifies high impact clinical practices where standardisation can significantly improve patient outcomes. Whether the subject is medication safety, infection prevention, surgery or diagnostics, the principle remains the same. Sustainable improvements are achieved not only through new technologies or additional infrastructure, but through disciplined implementation of evidence-based practices.

India has rightly earned global recognition for expanding health care access and embracing innovation. The next chapter of this transformation should be defined by an equally strong commitment to patient safety. As the country aspires to become a global leader in healthcare and realise the vision of Viksit Bharat, safe care must become an inseparable part of quality care.

Infrastructure expands access. Technology enhances capability. But it is patient safety that builds lasting public trust. If India succeeds in making safety a defining feature of health care governance, future generations will remember this period not only as the era in which the country transformed healthcare infrastructure, but as the moment when it ensured that every patient, in every hospital, could expect care that is safe by design.

(The views expressed are personal)

This article is authored by NK Ganguly, former director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).