Role and Responsibilities of the Authorised Assessor

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Eligibility
The BFHI – India NAC  will register and authorise external assessors for the BFHI-India project from all over India (State/Districts)  based on following criteria for qualifications and skills:

  1. Proficient in English and Hindi /other local language
  2. Proficient in use of web portal, MS word
  3. Medical graduates, Para Medical Graduates, B.Sc. Nursing /Dietician/ Nutritionist/Nutrition Officers/ Masters in Social Welfare/Masters in Nutrition/Masters in Food and Nutrition
  4. Candidates with certification in BPNI's 4 in 1 IYCF Counselling training programme.
  5. Experience in breastfeeding and maternal support is desirable.
  6. Experience of doing hospital assessment for BFHI is desirable.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Authorised Assessor

  • Authorised Assessors will function under the guidance of the NAC 
  • Authorised Assessors will take part in the orientation by the NAC 
  • Authorised Assessors will receive and confirm the assignment of assessment of an eligible hospital.
  • Authorised Assessors will prepare herself/himself with designated assessment forms to record his/her observations of the assigned hospital assessment.
  • Authorised Assessors will make a contact with the assigned hospital after receiving the information from BFHI-India NAC and make a visit on convenient date.
    • The assessor will submit the  assessment findings in the  designated external assessment forms to the BFHI-India NAC through the BFHI-India digital portal. Before and during the assessment visit, the assessor will:
  1. Apprise the health facility staff (administrator, medical officers, nurses) about the BFHI and WHO's Ten Step to Successful Breastfeeding and brief them about the process of assessment.
  2. Conduct interviews of the health facility administrator (Medical Superintendent/Medical Director (1) the doctors Pediatrician/ Obstetrician/Medical officer; (2), nursing staff in the maternity facilities (3); and mothers in antenatal clinic, labour room, post-natal ward (one cesarean, one normal delivery) and a mother with baby in the neonatal unit – five. (Total of 11 interviews)
  3. Observe the practices in the health facility including compliance with the IMS Act
  4. Check/review relevant hospital records.
  5. Debrief the administrator and other relevant staff about the assessment visit.

Conditions
1. Any authorised assessor, if associated with the hospital to be accredited, either directly or indirectly will not be considered to be independent for conducting external assessment. 

2. Authorised Assessors will not share the assessment results with anyone else other than the National Accreditation Centre (NAC).

Payment of honorarium
The assessor will be paid a consolidated sum of  INR 7500/-* to cover following costs

  1. Communication with the hospital
  2. Transport to and from the hospital
  3. Conduct interviews
  4. Honorarium

* TDS will be deducted as per rules of Income Tax, currently it is 10% as per Income Tax