The problem isn't people dedicated to QA, the problem is the workflow they use to do that. When they become a delivery constraint rather than enablers of quality, then they drive up risk. Management does three things very wrong in the organizations you describe.

- They assume their developers, who haven't had to test anything before, will suddenly learn how without help.

- They eliminate QA instead of redirecting them from being a step to being a service provider.

- They don't give the developers operational responsibility so they don't feel the consequences of ignorance / malpractice.