Accreditation was created to protect public interest, safety, and trust. It was never meant to be a sales product. Unfortunately, what we see today across the globe is deeply worrying.
In the current accreditation ecosystem, any legal entity—proprietorships, partnerships, private companies—can operate as an “accreditation body.” Business models now openly promote:
• Pay later, free consultancy
• Logo first, audit back-dated
• Online audits replacing on-site competence evaluation
This is not quality assurance. This is certificate trading.
Accreditation logos that were once symbols of credibility are increasingly used as marketing tools. Audits are rushed, assessors are poorly qualified or conflicted, and compliance is reduced to paperwork rather than performance. The system rewards speed and volume, not competence and ethics.
The Real Danger
When accreditation loses credibility:
• Patients are put at risk
• Laboratories and hospitals lose genuine quality focus
• Regulators and buyers are misled
• Trust in global quality infrastructure collapses
The Future—If This Continues
If unchecked, accreditation will soon be seen as:
A purchasable label, not an assurance of competence.
Clients, regulators, insurers, and OEMs will stop trusting certificates—and rightly so. The collapse of trust will hurt everyone, including honest institutions.
International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC)
International Accreditation Forum Inc
ISQua
Quality Council of India(QCI)
nabh #qci #ilac #iso #ISQua #quality #accreditation #healthcare
About the Author
Dr. Sambhu Chakraborty is a distinguished consultant in quality accreditation for laboratories and hospitals. With a leadership portfolio that includes directorial roles in two laboratory organizations and a consulting firm, as well as chairman of International Organization of Laboratories ( An ILAC stakeholder organisation), Dr. Chakraborty is a respected voice in the field. For further engagement or inquiries, Dr. Chakraborty can be contacted through email at info@sambhuchakraborty.com and contact information are available on his websites,https://www.quality-pathshala.com and https://www.sambhuchakraborty.com , or via WhatsApp at +919830051583