Review of corruption in the health Sector: theory, methods and interventions

Abstract

As health care delivery systems develop, and their cost - as a percentage of total society expenditure - increases, policy-makers are more and more concerned about how to control these spiraling costs. An important section of policy makers' efforts to reduce costs is concentrated on preventing wastage in the health system. While a significant part of the resource wastage is due to inefficiencies in health system delivery, corruption and health care fraud and abuse are also to blame. The nature and the rate of corruption in the health care differ from one country to another. Still all countries encounter this problem and invest in interventions to combat corruption. Here we provide the readers with translated version of a very useful and readable paper by Vian. The paper reviews and summarizes the theories, methods, and interventions to combating corruption in health care.