Dimapur, August 2 (MExN): North East Christian University (NECU), Dimapur, has recently attained national and international recognition by being accredited by the National Accreditation Board of Certification Bodies (NABCB) under the provisions of ISO/IEC17024:2012 and the International Accreditation Forum.
According to a press release from the Quality Manager, PrCB TCHP, NECU, the Quality Council of India conducted a pilot project for five years to work on the feasibility of recognizing and certifying Traditional Healers (Traditional Community Healthcare Providers- TCHP) in six states. 517 such healthcare providers from Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu were evaluated and found qualified to be certified. In 2017, QCI invited third party organizations to take up the matter of evaluation and certification, since it is the final authority and would not do the evaluation itself to avoid any conflict of interest.
The QCI is the highest authority in the country that vets and approves certifications of all standard (from products as in ISI and BIS to Hospital under NABH and Laboratories under NABL). As per international prevalence, one can also certify individuals (personnel) for their knowledge and skills.
The release stated that with tradition and biodiversity being strong in the northeast region, NECU applied in 2018 to QCI to be considered and recognized as a certification body for personnel in traditional healing (PrCB for TCHP). Through a process of training, inspection, and interaction, QCI recognized NECU as a PrCB for TCHPs, it said.
It informed that NECU has QCI trained senior traditional healers (TCHPs) to act as evaluators. The release stated that team of three in a particular domain (common ailments, arthritis, jaundice, poisonous bites, traditional bone setting and traditional birth attendants) with an Aryuvedic doctor usually takes two days to evaluate a TCHP to qualify for certification.
All such candidates will have learned their skills and knowledge from traditional lineage and mentoring. Faith healers are however, not included, it said.
The release stated that NECU is the first university in the country to get this recognition. NECU has certified healers in Tripura, Assam and Nagaland and is ready for applicants from Manipur and Meghalaya. All such certified persons’ particulars are on the QCI website and as of now, there are only four QCI recognized PRCBs for TCHPs in the country, it said.
To get further recognition at the international level NECU applied to the NABCB, also within QCI, to evaluate NECU PrCB for accreditation under ISO 17024 standards, it said.
This exercise was done in February 2020, including observing in the field the Tuensang TCHP evaluation that was being conducted by NECU PrCB. NECU was found qualified and NABCB has recently issued its Certificate of Accreditation to NECU PrCB.
NECU is the only PrCB for TCHPs to be accredited by NABCB in India. Even in the world, in the category of TCHPs, NECU is the first and only one. It can now use the International Accreditation Forum logo on its certificates, it stated.
