Medicines, waiting lists and accreditation: this is where the risks of corruption in the healthcare sector lie
The National Anti-Corruption Authority has published a catalogue setting out the main corruption risks in the healthcare sector and the measures to mitigate them
There are waiting lists and private practice appointments (intramoenia) which affect patients more directly and where there is a risk of ‘favouritism’ – such as ‘jumping the queue’ in exchange for undue financial gain.
Also under scrutiny are the accreditation procedures for healthcare facilities wishing to work with the National Health Service, which are ‘subject to a high risk of corruption’ and where a blind eye may be turned to irregularities in the process of verifying quality and structural standards (requirements, inspections, technical assessments) ‘often in exchange for favours or personal gain’.
Finally, ‘the risks relating to the marketing and promotion of medicines and medical devices should not be underestimated either’, starting, for example, with the ‘undue influence on doctors’ when they prescribe.
The Corruption Risk Catalogue is published today
Here are just a few of the main corruption risks set out in the Catalogue recently finalised in a new resolution by ANAC, the Anti-Corruption Authority, led by its president Giuseppe Busìa , which is published today and which, alongside each corruption ‘threat’ and potential conflicts of interest, also lists all the countermeasures that can be adopted by companies and NHS bodies such as local health authorities (ASLs) and hospitals, including for the purpose of drawing up their own integrated activity and organisational plans.
“The sheer scale of the financial flows directed towards the healthcare sector (around 25 per cent of total public procurement expenditure) increases the risk of mismanagement and administrative opacity,” emphasises Busìa. “Eight per cent of whistleblowing reports,” adds the ANAC president, “relate specifically to the healthcare sector, with recurring types of irregularities including the mismanagement of wards or facilities, anomalies in tendering processes, irregularities in waiting lists or hospital admissions, favouritism in the allocation of posts, suspicious accreditation processes and rigged competitions. This is why it is important to map corruption risks thoroughly, so as to prevent such issues and strengthen control and oversight measures.”
