Corruption During the COVID-19 Crisis Response in Uganda and Its Implications for the Right to Health (original) (raw)
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Journal of Anti-Corruption Law
The discovery of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV2 or COVID-19) in Wuhan, China was considered a Chinese problem by Ugandans until confirmation of the first positive test in the country, in March 2020. The government went into panic mode by closing the country’s borders, tracking down all contacts, testing them and treating them, imposing a nationwide lockdown and a curfew, prohibiting public gatherings more than five people and suspension of all economic activities except the most essential. It was the first lock down in a country where much of the urbanised population live “hand to mouth”. Due to resurgence of COVID-19 infections, a second lockdownwas announced in June 2021. In both cases, the government organised relief support and healthcare for the most impacted or vulnerable communities / individuals.
Anti-Corruption Review in global health
İlköğretim Online, 2021
This article has attempted to identify key priority areas that urgently need global attention to advance the fight against corruption in the health sector. The problem has become even more obvious and relevant in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Over two-thirds of countries are considered endemically corrupt according to Transparency International. Corruption can be seen in all societies. It is estimated that the world spends more than US$7 trillion on health services, and that at least 10-25% of global spending is lost directly through corruption, representing hundreds of billions of dollars lost each year.
The implications of corruption for the enjoyment of the right to health in Africa : : feature
2012
Corruption remains one of the biggest obstacles to development in many African countries. While there is no universally agreed definition of corruption, attempts have been made by scholars to explain what may constitute it. According to Bayley (1966), it can be defined as the 'misuse of authority as a result of consideration of personal gain, which need not be monetary'. Friedrich (1990) puts it thus: 'Corruption may also arise where an individual who is granted power by society to perform certain public functions, undertakes, as a result of personal gain or reward, actions that may likely affect negatively the welfare of the society or even injure the public interest' (Fredrich 1990).
Global health has seen a marked rise in new organisations such as public private partnerships (PPP). The Global Fund to fight AIDS tuberculosis and malaria is perhaps the most famous PPPs. From its conception, it was hailed as a new breed of international institution which would be less bureaucratic and more accountable to its stakeholders. Unfortunately, the GFATM has been plagued by corruption from several countries. In this note, use a case study of GFATM experiences of corruption in Uganda and Zambia to argue that we should be cautious in welcoming this new form of global governance as being totally transparent and accountable. This, is because one of the key strengths of the PPP structure which creates autonomy at the national level has also proved a weakness in cases where there is corruption exemplified by the fact that despite agreement about the evidence of endemic corruption in both our case studies, the GFATM has been unable to ensure successful prosecutions and recovery of money that has been siphoned off as both governments have exhibited a lack of political will in fighting corruption.
Bioethics and Covid 19: Critical Reflections on Public Health Sector Corruption in Nigeria
The International Journal of Science and Technoledge, 2021
Generally characteristic of poor nations are special or vulnerable populations of the poor, especially the helpless and malnourished. The global health phenomenon Covid 19 brings to the fore an interplay of how the physical and mental health of a citizenry could either mitigate or contribute to the deepening of vulnerable populations. With particular reference to Nigeria, the paper critically examined the bioethical dimensions of the content of governmental responses to covid19. A philosophical commentary, the paper carried out critical and analytic reflections on data gathered from existing literature on governmental responses to Covid19 in Nigeria. The major finding is that the phenomenon of corruption is not only an established ethical threat to the Nigerian nation, but also a threat that has deep bioethical implications for the health sector in Nigeria; a phenomenon which the paper conceptualized as a twindemic (that is, a combination of Covid pandemic and Corruption pandemic). In its quest for sustainable healthcare for vulnerable poor populations in Nigeria, the paper deepened discussions on the need to fight corruption in the health sector - through conscious adoption and implementation of appropriate bioethical policies and frameworks. Keywords: Bioethics, Twindemic, Covid-19, corruption
Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences, 2021
Corruption in healthcare is on the rise. When corruption infiltrates global health, causes embezzlement of public health funds, malfunctioning medical equipment, fraudulent or ineffective health services such as expired medicines and fake vaccines that could have life-or-death consequences. A corrupt healthcare system, amid global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, when resources are in constraint and trust is in high demand, can lead to devastating, though avoidable, health and economic consequences. It is imperative for policymakers, health experts, patients, caregivers, and global health funders to promptly acknowledge and address corruption in healthcare. The current pandemic generates an emergency and disorder state on health care systems across the globe, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where a weakening of control measures is evident, creating the perfect storm for corruption. This paper builds on existing research to examine processes that support esse...
EUNOMÍA. Revista en Cultura de la Legalidad, 2021
The coronavirus pandemic has created incentives for corruption, fraud, and self-dealing that can be explained by the underlying political-economic incentives at work. Three characteristics of the COVID-19 crisis are especially important. First, the rapidly unfolding pandemic and the accompanying economic recession have led to fierce competition for essential resources. Second, governments have rapidly mobilized public funds (for both healthcare and economic stabilization) at an unprecedented scale, creating opportunities for rent-seeking of many kinds, including outright corruption. Third, politicians, bureaucrats and medical professionals exercise substantial discretion in the allocation of resources. A lack of transparency and weak oversight and enforcement have exacerbated the problems of corruption and fraud, and public measures against these offenses have not kept pace with the developing crisis. The paper discusses how these features interact in procurement processes, in gover...
The Global Wicked Problem of Corruption and Its Risks for Access to HIV/AIDS Medicines
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2018
We discuss how corruption affects access to antiretroviral therapies (ARVs) globally. Recent cases of theft of ARVs, collusion, and manipulation in procurement found in countries such as Central African Republic, Bangladesh, Malawi, and Guinea, show there is still much work to be done to reduce the risk of corruption. This includes addressing the structural weaknesses in procurement mechanisms and supply chain management systems of health commodities and medicines.
Combating corruption in global health
Science translational medicine, 2017
Corruption is a critical challenge to global health efforts, and combating it requires international action, advocacy, and research.