How does corruption affect health care ?
WHO Europe - Health Evidence Network http://euro.who.int/HEN/Syntheses/short/20050427_1
The issue
There is a lot of corruption in governmental, private and quasi-private health care systems (the World Bank defines corruption as the "abuse of public office for private gain"). The use of power and influence by health practitioners, officials and organizations for self-enrichment conflicts with their public roles. Corruption can be divided into four main types: bribery, theft, bureaucratic or political corruption, and misinformation for private gain.
Findings
Corrupt activity in the health sector can have repercussions in three areas.
i. Health and the health care system. Corrupt activity is likely to damage the ability of the health care system to deliver high quality, effective care to the people who can benefit most. There is growing evidence that high levels of corruption impoverish populations, increase inequality, and cause health status to deteriorate, especially among the most vulnerable population groups.
ii. Entrepreneurial activity. The presence of a substantial quasi-private system that operates corruptly within the public sector can be detrimental to the development of a strong private sector. It can often be more lucrative for private providers to exploit public facilities, with their supplies of medical equipment and patients, rather than to establish their own clinics and mechanisms for recruiting patients.
iii.Macro-economy. There is increasing evidence that corruption significantly reduces economic growth and private sector investment. As with other sectors, corruption in the health sector has spill over effects on the macro-economy.
Although corruption can be found in all countries, its effects are particularly devastating in low- and middle-income countries.
SOURCE:
Ensor T, Duran-Moreno A. Corruption as a challenge to effective regulation in the health sector. In: Saltman R, Busse R, Mossialos E (eds.) Regulating entrepreneurial behaviour in European health care systems
European Observatory on Health Care Systems Series. Accessed 7 April 2005
http://euro.who.int/HEN/Syntheses/short/20050427_2
Corruption stands at a rampant level in many countries
WHO Europe - Health Evidence Network http://euro.who.int/HEN/Syntheses/short/20050427_1
The issue
There is a lot of corruption in governmental, private and quasi-private health care systems (the World Bank defines corruption as the "abuse of public office for private gain"). The use of power and influence by health practitioners, officials and organizations for self-enrichment conflicts with their public roles. Corruption can be divided into four main types: bribery, theft, bureaucratic or political corruption, and misinformation for private gain.
Findings
Corrupt activity in the health sector can have repercussions in three areas.
i. Health and the health care system. Corrupt activity is likely to damage the ability of the health care system to deliver high quality, effective care to the people who can benefit most. There is growing evidence that high levels of corruption impoverish populations, increase inequality, and cause health status to deteriorate, especially among the most vulnerable population groups.
ii. Entrepreneurial activity. The presence of a substantial quasi-private system that operates corruptly within the public sector can be detrimental to the development of a strong private sector. It can often be more lucrative for private providers to exploit public facilities, with their supplies of medical equipment and patients, rather than to establish their own clinics and mechanisms for recruiting patients.
iii.Macro-economy. There is increasing evidence that corruption significantly reduces economic growth and private sector investment. As with other sectors, corruption in the health sector has spill over effects on the macro-economy.
Although corruption can be found in all countries, its effects are particularly devastating in low- and middle-income countries.
SOURCE:
Ensor T, Duran-Moreno A. Corruption as a challenge to effective regulation in the health sector. In: Saltman R, Busse R, Mossialos E (eds.) Regulating entrepreneurial behaviour in European health care systems
European Observatory on Health Care Systems Series. Accessed 7 April 2005
http://euro.who.int/HEN/Syntheses/short/20050427_2
Corruption stands at a rampant level in many countries