corruption at health sector
Corruption is a pervasive problem affecting the health sector. At the level of individuals and households, there is mounting evidence of the negative effects of corruption on the health and welfare of citizens.
Defined by Transparency International as ‘misuse of entrusted power for private gain’, corruption occurs when public officials who have been given the authority to carry out goals that further the public good, instead use their position and power to benefit themselves and others close to them. Corruption in the health sector may be viewed by examining the roles and relationships among the different players to identify potential abuses that are likely to occur.
Health systems are particularly susceptible to corruption due to large amounts of resources, information asymmetry, the large number of actors, system complexity and fragmentation, and the globalized nature of the supply chain for drugs and medical devices.
Corruption in the health sector has severe consequences for access, quality, equity, efficiency, and efficacy of health care services – the five dimensions of health system performance.
Access to health services can be seriously affected by the absenteeism of medical staff.
Quality of care and medical drugs can be severely compromised by bribes, kickback schemes, and fraud.
Patients may be charged for diagnostics and treatments that are fake or substandard or were not performed at all. Additional problems include kickback-driven referrals and unnecessary procedures.
Good-quality medicines may be unavailable due to drug theft, stockouts, or extortion.
The effect of corruption on equity is a great concern. Families fall into deeper poverty when they are forced to sell assets or go into debt in order to pay bribes for health services that they should have received without charge. Evidence shows that bribes are regressive, imposing a major burden on poorer households.
Corruption has enormous effects on the efficiency of the health sector, in particular the availability and use of scarce resources. Globally, an estimated 7% of health spending, amounting to more than $500 billion per year, is lost to corruption and fraud. A study of 64 countries found that corruption lowered public spending on education, health, and social protection.
In terms of efficacy, corruption in the health sector has a corrosive impact on the population’s health. pouring more money into highly corruption-prone health systems will not achieve the intended health goals. corruption is an obstacle to the long-term goal of achieving universal health care (UHC).Kickbacks in the health industry
Kickbacks in the health industry are killing the esteem and the health of the industry itself. The pharmaceutical industry sending representatives to the doorsteps of the clinics and outpatient departments of most hospitals in the country has soured the relationship between doctors and patients.
Kickbacks are if a physician or medical provider uses any payment or compensation to encourage a patient to come to their office, or to encourage another medical provider to refer patients to their office or facility. A kickback in healthcare is the exchange of money or anything else of value in order to influence a healthcare provider or a physician to make decisions that may financially benefit the party offering the incentive. While the familiar “fee for a referral” type of kickback has become increasingly obvious, and to some degree less frequent, kickback schemes have become increasingly sophisticated.
Healthcare providers are supposed to offer tests and treatments based on their knowledge of and experience, not because of financial incentives from other providers or companies. When they are motivated by kickbacks, providers make decisions that are not in the best interest of patients. That is the motivation behind our country’s anti-kickback laws. Our country is lacking these laws. So, kickbacks are rampant.
Stopping kickbacks is part of the effort to make sure that patients receive care based on rational decision-making by their providers, not on personal financial motives.
Medical referral kickback is a leading cause of why a majority who pay for medical bills out of pocket are increasingly finding it difficult to afford treatment for illness as well as the main cause of misdiagnosis and other medical complications.
Kickbacks are illegal for many reasons:Kickbacks are illegal for many reasons:
1. Kickbacks compromise the quality of patient care.
2. Kickbacks induce health care providers to consider their own interests before those of their patients.
3. Kickbacks drive up health care costs for patients and health insurance providers.
4. Kickbacks lead to medically- unnecessary treatments, medications, and other supplies/services.
5. Kickbacks and other forms of health care fraud cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year
Conclusion
Corruption is a complex problem that threatens health care access, equity, and outcomes. Increasingly, health sector leaders, and citizens of all countries, are recognizing the pernicious effects of corruption, and the need to take action. Efforts to disaggregate specific corruption problems in the health sector, and to identify and understand the root causes, can help us face this difficult challenge. Applying theory to carefully studied local realities, we can craft more effective programs to close off opportunities, alleviate pressures and strengthen resistance to corruption.
courtesy: different published article
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