India’s healthcare transformation is unfolding alongside the national aspiration of Viksit Bharat 2047 — a self-reliant nation powered by a USD 5+ trillion economy, technological leadership and universal, high-quality healthcare.
But universal coverage cannot mean access alone; it must guarantee safe, reliable and trusted care everywhere it is delivered. Mandatory accreditation and transparent safety protocols are therefore no longer administrative requirements; they are the foundation of patient safety and clinical trust.
Why quality matters more than ever
From diagnostics to treatment pathways, providers must operate within standardised frameworks ensuring reliability, accountability and equitable outcomes. Yet India still lacks a universal quality baseline. Consider diagnostics: nearly 70% of clinical decisions depend on test results, but quality remains uneven. This is a challenge echoed globally, where almost half the population lacks adequate access to quality diagnostics and care-pathway gaps range from 35–62%. As testing expands, availability is not always translated into dependable results.India’s disease burden includes non-communicable conditions, now causing ~63% of deaths and an estimated USD 3.55 trillion economic loss by 2030. The battle against NCDs is not fought in ICUs but won in laboratories. Early, accurate diagnosis allows for timely healthcare intervention. Accreditation ensures reliable results, strengthens clinical confidence and enables healthcare to move from late-stage treatment to prevention and long-term management.
NABL and ISO accreditation: Standardising a fragmented market
NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) and ISO-based standards play a crucial role in providing uniform benchmarks for quality, safety, ethical compliance and operational excellence. There are ~300,000 laboratories operating in India across public and private space. When a lab gets accredited, it not only strengthens trust among patients, but also among clinicians and healthcare institutions that rely on diagnostic data for decision-making.
In a system where a single report can shape treatment, standardisation becomes essential to consistent care. Accreditation also compliments public health initiatives such as empanelment and reimbursement under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY as it scales to over 42 crore beneficiaries. Beyond financial protection, quality-certified providers also ensure that expanded coverage translates into safe, meaningful care.
Embedding accreditation within empanelment frameworks enables patients to access services that meet defined performance standards, reinforcing confidence in a rapidly expanding healthcare ecosystem. Need for innovation and digital transparency to strengthen safety and confidence
Healthcare innovation is often evaluated based on affordability. However, cost reduction alone does not define value. True innovation improves diagnostic accuracy, reliability and reproducibility, turnaround time, clinical confidence and patient outcomes.
Yet innovation without governance can introduce new risks as quickly as it solves old ones. Quality frameworks and accreditation act as guardrails that validate technology, standardise processes and ensure outcomes remain patient- centric. Automation, AI-assisted interpretation and integrated digital workflows can reduce human error, accelerate decisions and enable real-time quality monitoring. However, AI-based reporting and automated laboratories strengthen safety only when governed by transparent protocols that provide traceability and continuous quality improvement.
In an era where clinical decisions increasingly depend on longitudinal diagnostic data, transparency sustains trust. This ensures digital transformation consistently delivers safer care, stronger clinical confidence and better health outcomes.
Quality as a foundation for the future of healthcare
Mandatory accreditation and transparent safety protocols are no longer optional measures; they are foundational requirements for healthcare providers. As India confronts rising disease burdens, expanding health coverage and accelerating innovation, quality must remain the common thread that protects patients and strengthens clinical outcomes. Healthcare systems can only be as strong as the trust they inspire. Accreditation ensures that trust is earned through consistency, safety and accountability, making it truly non-negotiable.
The article is written by Dr. Rishubh Gupta, MD, Roche Diagnostics India and Neighbouring Markets & Treasurer, NATHEALTH.
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHealthworld.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly)
