Corruption in the Healthcare System - Essay Example

Corruption in the healthcare system

The emergence of technology and its advancement has helped in fighting diseases and enhancing the lives. The healthcare sector is doing various randomized trials to establish if a particular intervention works or a specific new drug effective. These are significant advancements, but they will have very little meaning if they do not benefit all people or do not get applied in the real world (Mackey & Liang, 2012). Therefore, despite focusing on careful planning, commitment, leadership, and implementation, it is good to be concerned about global health challenges, such as corruption. The aspect of corruption has emerged to be a threat to the future of health in the universe. As a student, I have learned about corruption linked to providers' practices, drugs, and supplies. As the healthcare sector is gaining more resources, the challenge of corruption is more (García, 2019). Besides, some activities in the healthcare system are part of the corruption. For instance, paying the healthcare provider so that they can attend training sessions seems normal, but it's not. Training is part of a healthcare provider jobs, and it is also an incentive. The paper is a reflection of corruption in the healthcare system.

Corruption is a vice that affects health sectors differently in various countries. Besides, it mostly affects countries that are less developed. It affects the lives of the poor individuals and the most vulnerable. It is more dangerous when it takes place in the healthcare sector than any other sector because it risks the lives of people. When individuals engage in corruption, they violate the rights of others and the entire community. For instance, corruption leads to a loss of approximately 140,000 children, undermine the global effort to deal with the non-communicable and communicable disorders (García, 2019). Therefore, just like diseases, corruption results in the death of people in society and can be defined as an ignored pandemic. It can also be defined as an abuse of power that the community entrusts to a specific sector or individual for private gain.

Corruption has been in existence from the time human social structures were formed. Initially, governments were created to maintain order and serve the citizens. The countries which had colonies used them to exploit the population and the resources. Therefore, when some nations gained independence, the human social structures which were established earlier continued to benefit peoples in power. Corruption has erupted in the past 30-40 years by from the early 1990s nations are offering more attention to this vice (García, 2019). After World War 2, there was the emergence of new countries. The new countries had inexperienced institutions with staff who had insufficient knowledge. The lack of knowledge and experience made the institutions vulnerable and weak such that people could abuse their powers and engage in corruption without being noticed.

The health sector erupts as one of the most attractive sectors for corruption. The extent of corruption in the healthcare sector related to the culture of the society it operates. If the society has a culture of less transparency, lack, or less adherence to the rule of law and has fewer accountability mechanisms, the level of corruption in the health system is high (García, 2019). For example, in the health system, employees are not subjected to the rule of law when they embezzle the funds, and there is no accountability about their actions, the level of corruption is high.

Corruption in the health system occurs in different types. It can be petty corruption, multinational corruption, or high-level national corruption. Therefore, corruption in the health system can be present in different ways like undue influence, nepotism, bribery, theft, extortion, and embezzlement Kizito (2016). Besides, corruption occurs at various points in the health system. For example, corruption occurs from the provision of healthcare services by the medical staff and other workers in the distribution, the purchase process, and utilization of medical equipment, supplies and drugs, hiring of personnel, construction of facilities, and in the regulation of products and services qualities.

There are various major types of corruption in the health system that affects service delivery. Transparency International stated that absenteeism is the first type where the medical personnel leaves their legitimate causes like illness and lack to show up at work (García, 2019). For example, in developing countries, medical practitioners engage in private practices and lack to appear at their workplaces. There is a lack of accountability, and there is no penalty for the absenteeism; thus, patients are left without care. Bribery is another type of corruption in the health system. For example, some patients make easy payments to medical personnel to receive special services. The amount received represents a bribe. Embezzlement and stealing of money, medications, and supplies is another type of corruption in the health system (Mackey & Liang, 2012). For example, some medical personnel can take unaccounted money or supplies and use it for private purposes. Such practices interfere with medical procedures and treatments. Favoritism is another form of corruption in the health system that has led to a lot of deaths. When healthcare services are offered preferentially to recommended individuals or the ones with social connection, other patients are denied the care, and their health deteriorates. For example, favoritism in the current health system takes place severally because the politicians and rich individuals are provided extensive services. In contrast, others are denied it because of their status in society.

From a personal perspective, the acts of corruption at the level of daily interactions of patients with medical providers may seem small, but they have a lot of damage to global health. Besides, the small acts of corruption are difficult to address because they become normalized ion the community. People in society consider the small acts of corruption as just the means of making things work. When the government purchases medical equipment and drugs to be provided to the citizens for free, but the medical personnel decide to charge, an action should be taken. The illegal operations and corruption lead to deaths and inadequate provision of services in the health system.