I Know It When I See It: The Challenges of Addressing Corruption in Health Systems; Comment on “We Need to Talk About Corruption in Health Systems”

Document Type : Commentary

Author

WHO Collaborating Center for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector and Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Abstract

In this commentary, I argue that corruption in health systems is a critical and legitimate area for research in order to strengthen health policy goals. This rationale is based partly on citizen demand for more accountable and transparent health systems, along with the fact that the poor and vulnerable suffer the most from the presence of corruption in health systems. What is more, there is a growing body of literature on the impact of corruption in the health system and best practices in terms of anti-corruption, transparency and accountability (ACTA) strategies and tactics within the health system. Still, we need to support ACTA integration into the health system by having a common definition of corruption that is meaningful for health systems and ensure that ACTA strategies and tactics are transparent themselves. The 2019 Consultation on a proposed Global Network on ACTA in Health Systems is promising for these efforts.

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Main Subjects


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Volume 8, Issue 9
September 2019
Pages 563-566
  • Receive Date: 25 April 2019
  • Revise Date: 06 June 2019
  • Accept Date: 08 June 2019
  • First Publish Date: 01 September 2019