Lack of transparency in healthcare challenges anti-graft efforts, study says
It is also a matter of concern that people with vested interests are involved in decision-making in the health system.
By
Mohamed Muzayyin Nazim
One of the biggest challenges in tackling corruption in the country's health system is the lack of transparency across the sector, according to a new study published by Transparency Maldives on Thursday.
The report has been prepared by an international team of anti-corruption and health experts on corruption in the country's health system. The study report was released at a function held at H. Meerumaa Thursday afternoon by veteran public health official Dr. Abdul Sattar Yusuf.
The study report, which collected data between August 2021 and December 2021, is the first such independent report in the country. The study was based on two papers:
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Policy paper designed to assess how the governance structure of the health sector has been taken over and to identify the loopholes in various functions of the health system.
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Advocacy paper highlighting 10 key aspects of corruption in the health system and what can be done in this regard
The findings are based on documents including laws and regulations, as well as similar international studies, as well as interviews with 80 health professionals who shared information for the study.
The findings of this study suggest that despite significant improvements in the country's healthcare system over the past 50 years, there are "many risks that need urgent solutions" to sustain the system. Here are three key points:
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Lack of clarity across the field as a whole
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The issue of proper monitoring and non-compliance
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Slowing down the pace of reforms
"How the health sector works, who takes various responsibilities, what happens when something goes wrong, and how documents are rarely available in public to know such things," reads the affidavit in the advocacy paper.
In Thursday’s presentation, an example was cited as the lack of transparency in the functioning of Aasandha. Every year, Aasandha spends a lot of money, but the public also questions whether it is being spent in the most desirable manner.
As a source of corruption, it is also a matter of concern that people with vested interests are involved in decision-making in the health system, the study said. It was found that civil servants and politicians in the health sector had stakes in business, companies that receive government contracts.
Speaking on the occasion, Executive Director of Transparency Maldives Asiyath Rilwina said that everyone's cooperation was needed to make the healthcare system more transparent and corruption-free. It is hoped that the recommendations in this study will be accepted by the agencies and appropriate action will be taken.
After the study was made public, Transparency aims to conduct a workshop to discuss the findings of the report with agencies.
