Topic Guide: Corruption in Health Services

Complaint mechanisms are also important accountability mechanisms that can be instrumental to detect instances of fraud and corruption. They can provide useful insights for auditing and quality control processes undertaken by government authorities. For example, Transparency International Uganda established a monitoring system of hospitals linked to a virtual complaint mechanism. Patients are invited to present their complaints about corruption and low-quality service through these platforms. Complaints are then presented to government authorities to assist them in identifying problem areas in the hospitals.[1] Governments also need to introduce effective reporting channels and whistleblower protection for individuals working in procurement bodies, health authorities, health service providers and suppliers of medicines and equipment. Such approaches should also be introduced by pharmaceutical companies