Editorial
Corruption in government health sector
The impunity culture has to go
THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in its drive against institutional graft has revealed many a skeleton in the cupboards of public health care and family planning sectors. The scale and depth of corruption and malpractice encompassing 27 areas in different institutions under the health ministry that have been revealed make a sad tale of disservice to public healthcare. This is an eye-opener, if one were needed, to the deteriorating state of heath service in the country. This is not to say though, good, honest work is not done, but that seems rather outweighed by the price corruption exacts from the system.
What happened at the apex of the pyramid might well have been a trend-setter for the structure down below. At the health ministry, health directorate and family planning directorate, corruption has been noticed in such areas as project formulation and implementation; appointment, transfer, posting, promotion and deputation; allocation and grants; training; tender and purchase. Even processing of pension cases is not spared.
Doctors are apt to set aside official duties to engage in their personal commercial pursuits. The other forms of maladies include deficit in medicine purchase, black marketing of drugs, under-use of costly equipment, the list can go on and on.
It is good to learn that the health ministry sees eye to eye with the ACC on the problems of corruption and seeks to combat these in concert. In the meeting between the ACC and the health ministry held on Wednesday, the former gave some suggestions to the latter by way of building up resistance within the institutions as well as awareness amongst the public against corrupt practices.
While the above approach has merit, we believe that specific instances of corruption should be pursued till punitive action is taken against those found guilty.
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