What does COHSASA accreditation mean?

The Council for Health Services Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA) evaluates healthcare facilities and their quality-improvement systems. It is an independent nonprofit organisation based in South Africa.

Who runs it and is it the government?

COHSASA operates as an external accreditation body rather than a government licensing authority. Its programmes cover hospitals, clinics, palliative care and related services. The service category tells you what kind of organisation was assessed.

COHSASA also holds organisation-level IEEA recognition for December 2023 to December 2027. That recognition concerns the evaluator and should not be used as the expiry period for a hospital's certificate. IEEA's awards directory separates the evaluator's award from the awards it issues.

What does it assess and for how long?

The process includes preparation through quality improvement, an external survey and an accreditation decision. Standards address clinical services, support services and continuing improvement. Participation in improvement work is therefore part of the process, but you should still ask whether an accreditation decision has been made. COHSASA's healthcare standards explain the programme subjects.

Award periods differ. Read the start and end dates attached to the particular facility instead of applying one universal term. If a clinic says it has worked with COHSASA for many years, ask for the current award dates as well as that history.

How do I find a clinic in its register?

Open COHSASA's international facility information. Select the country where that option is available, or use your browser's Find function to locate the facility. Compare the name with the accreditation dates shown beside it.

Some entries retain past expiry dates. Treat an expired row as evidence of a past award until COHSASA confirms a renewal. If the clinic supplies a newer certificate, ask the issuer to reconcile it with the directory rather than assuming either document is current.

The international information includes activity across African countries. A claim about a facility elsewhere still needs confirmation for that individual recipient.

What does it not tell me?

Accreditation does not guarantee your individual treatment result. A historical directory entry also does not establish present status, even if the facility continues to display the logo.

Follow How to check any mark in five minutes for the checks shared with other programmes.

Checked on 23 October 2026.