Health corruption

Abstract

Corruption affects healthcare in the same way and similar proportion than it does to other social sectors. There’s a clear need of differentiating the mechanisms and corruption types which are usually found in the complex sanitary system, their institutions and professionals. Actions made by the health politicians, assistance or investigation related ones made by the professionals themselves, those involving directors and managers of health centres/services, the scientific society’s and finally the interaction of all the above with the technology and pharmaceutical industry can all be contaminated with corruption and therefore create severe harm to society.

 
While politics most usual corruption crime figures are prevarication and malversation, on the other hand in management and service providing, those change to become misappropriation and theft. In the scientific societies perspective, the typical problems are those derived from the interaction with the industry mentioned before, with opaque deviation from their foundational objectives. These interactions, also take an important relevance in the professional exercise by the appearance of non-ethical behaviours and contrary to patient’s interests.