Interventions to reduce corruption in the health sector

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Health Economics

Background:

• Corruption in the health sector is a widespread problem with significant financial, material, and non-material consequences.
• It involves the abuse of public or private positions, power, or authority for personal or group gain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically summarize empirical evidence on strategies to reduce health sector corruption.
• To describe implemented strategies and guide future evaluations of promising interventions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of 14 electronic databases and 23 grey literature sources was conducted.
• Included studies for primary analysis were randomized trials, non-randomized trials, interrupted time series, and controlled before-after studies.
• Secondary analysis included case studies describing interventions to reduce health sector corruption.

Main Results:

• No studies met the inclusion criteria for the primary analysis.
• Nine studies met the criteria for the secondary analysis, with varying levels of evidence certainty.
• Promising strategies included coordinated interventions, independent agencies, transparency in co-payments, and guidelines on pharmaceutical benefits.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant paucity of evidence on effective strategies to reduce health sector corruption.
• Coordinated anti-corruption efforts, particularly those led by independent agencies, show promise.
• Further monitoring and evaluation of interventions, including potential adverse effects, are crucial.