New Delhi (PTI): Healthcare professionals on Saturday recommended that accreditation of hospitals by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals should be made mandatory.

This would set the standards for the hospitals and would make it easier for the people to compare the services offered and the fees charged by the hospitals.

Delegates at a seminar on Accreditation of Hospitals organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) agreed that once accreditation becomes widespread, said as consumer awareness grows, hospitals would not only have to demonstrate a commitment to quality care but also provide comparisons with other hospitals.

Accreditation would not only improve care but stimulate continuous improvement, Apollo Hospitals Group Medical Director Anupam Sibal said.

Emphasising the need to take the concept beyond metropolitans, Chairman of CII Healthcare Sub-Committee on Standardisation and Quality, Ranjit Roy Chaudhury said, it is now necessary to carry the process further in semi-urban and rural areas.