Corruption has not spared the health sector either. The variety of forms of manifestation of corruption offenses in medicine indicates the need to take measures to prevent and eliminate them. The policy of the state is directed at combating corruption at all levels of government.
Features of corruption in medicine
The effectiveness of anti-corruption measures taken largely depends on an objective assessment of the risks of violations of the law by medical workers. As a result, the economy is damaged and the rights of citizens to receive medical services are infringed. Taken together, this leads to more serious consequences - undermining the authority of state power as a whole.
For Russians, bribery has become commonplace in all spheres of life. Crimes of this kind are committed for the purpose of enrichment, obtaining other personal benefits by the heads of medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies, insurers, doctors, and other medical workers. Therefore, an urgent task is the timely adoption of anti-corruption measures.
Here are just some typical violations:
- embezzlement of funds intended for the purchase of medical equipment and medicines;
- unjustified issuance for a bribe of leaves of temporary disability or certificates of unfitness for military service, on admission to work in special conditions;
- extortion of illegal rewards for medical services that should be provided free of charge;
- forgery of insurance documents in the interests of privileged patients;
- billing insurance companies, government agencies or patients for services for which the hospital is not licensed or not provided at all;
- falsification of payment documents or falsification of patient records.
Anti-corruption measures taken
Medical institutions, when developing plans to combat corruption offenses, are guided by the general principles of the current legislation.
The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has approved the following provisions:
- on the Commission for the settlement of conflicts of interest in the implementation of medical and pharmaceutical activities;
- on the Commission on Compliance with the Requirements for Official Conduct of Federal Government Civil Servants and Heads of Organizations.
The departments of the subjects of the country, which are subordinate to the Ministry of Health, are also taking measures to combat corruption, and approving annual action plans.
To achieve their goals, subordinate organizations develop and post their own plans on official websites, where they indicate the officials responsible for the implementation, prevention of corruption and other offenses.
The helpline numbers, which can be used to report the extortion of a bribe and other corruption offenses, are posted in publicly accessible places for employees and patients of hospitals and clinics.
According to requests from citizens, information in the media about the facts of abuse of authority and the use of official position for the purpose of enrichment:
- an investigation is underway;
- when confirming the information, measures are taken to eliminate violations, to bring the perpetrators to justice in the manner prescribed by law.
14.12.2020
