Petty corruption in various forms is on the rise in state hospitals in Colombo district, according to recent research. The trend should raise concern about the quality of health care offered at these medical institutions, the research study pointed out.
The findings were drawn from a survey involving 200 households. The study was jointly conducted by Transparency International Sri Lanka and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). Based on the research, a fuller account covering overall corruption in state hospitals will be released shortly.
“The study highlights petty corruptive malpractices such as bribe taking, unethical behaviour, theft, favouritism and gift taking in all areas of the public health sector,” said Transparency International Sri Lanka executive director, J. C. Weliamuna.
Malpractice is seen as a pervasive problem in the country’s health sector, and is especially evident at the in-patient and out-patient facilities at hospitals and clinics. Overcrowding at hospitals is only adding to the problems. Almost all the respondents, 98.5 per cent, said personal connections were “necessary” to get a decent hospital service. Over 60 per cent said they had used personal connections to obtain admission and various hospital services, while 52 per cent admitted to giving money and gifts to hospital staff.
Twenty-five per cent said they had given money to hospital attendants for extra care and attention. Nineteen per cent said they had paid staff to expedite the release of the bodies of deceased patients from government hospitals. Eighty-two per cent believed that corruption could be controlled if punitive action is taken.
Related research revealed that lower income individuals, including those who came from rural areas outside Colombo, had a harder time than others getting attention and service at state hospitals.
It was found that hospital staff who came into direct contact with patients misused their position by encouraging patients to offer money for services.
It was also found that the public-private mixed delivery system had a negative impact on doctor-patient interaction. The study concluded that corruption in hospitals could be checked if there was greater public awareness about patients’ rights and less dependency on bribery to get services and jobs done.
Transparency International Sri Lanka is the local branch of a global coalition dedicated to integrity, while Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Sri Lanka is a private public-interest institution. Both organisations have their head offices in Germany.
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