Correction to: The influence of corruption and governance in the delivery of frontline health care services in the public sector: a scoping review of current and future prospects in low and middle-income countries of south and south-east Asia

Naher, Nahitun; Hoque, Roksana; Hassan, Muhammad Shaikh; Adams, Aubrey Manack; Ahmed, Syed Masud

doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09197-0

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…This mirrors the situation of other LMICs with mental health funding reported to be only a small proportion of the health budget which may be an average of 2.1% in lower-middle-income countries and 1% in low-income countries [ 6 ]. Some literature report corruption, poor governance, weak implementation of regulations, and lack of political commitment, as key factors that undermine equitable and effective healthcare services in countries like Nepal [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, enhancing the “supply side” of governance or top-down accountability mechanisms that focus on promoting the political and administrative rules and procedures, auditing, and formal law enforcement have found limited success [ 10 ]. In recent years, more attention has been given to the “demand side” of governance, or bottom-up accountability, that strengthens the voice and capacity of citizens or rights-holders and demands greater accountability and responsiveness from duty-bearers such as public officials, service providers and policy-makers [ 7 , 11 ]. Rights-holders refers to those individuals and social groups who have the rights, and duty-bearers are those who have the obligation to respect, promote and realize human rights.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How effectively are social accountability mechanisms being applied in mental health services within the newly federalized health system of Nepal? A multi-stakeholder qualitative study

Devkota

Baral

Khanal

et al. 2023

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background The burden of mental health problems and inequalities in healthcare has emerged as critical issues, in Nepal. Strengthened citizen-driven social accountability (SA) is an effective strategy for building equitable health systems and providing quality healthcare services to all, yet SA in mental health is an under-researched area in Nepal. Objective This study explores changes in mental health service delivery in the re-configured federal health system and discusses the functioning and effectiveness of SA in the federalized context of Nepal. Method This case study research used a qualitative approach to data collection. We conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with local stakeholders including people with experience of mental health problems. The audio-recorded interviews and discussions were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic content method. Results A total of 49 participants were recruited, and 17 participated in interviews and 32 participated in six focus group discussions. From the data, eight themes emerged: Policy challenges in mental health, Governance and service delivery, Tokenism in the application of social accountability processes, Weak role of key actors in promoting accountability, Complaints and response, Discriminatory health and welfare system, Public attitudes and commitment towards mental health, and No differences experienced by the change to a federal system. It was found that existing health policies in Nepal inadequately cover mental health issues and needs. The prevailing laws and policies related to mental health were poorly implemented. There is a lack of clarity at different levels of government about the roles and responsibilities in the delivery of mental health services. Poor intra- and inter-governmental coordination, and delays in law-making processes negatively impacted on mental health service delivery. SA mechanisms such as social audits and public hearings exist within government health systems, however, application of these in mental health services was found poor. Rights-holders with mental health problems had not experienced any change in the provision of healthcare services for them even after the federalization. Conclusion Mental health is insufficiently addressed by the health policies in Nepal, and SA mechanisms appeared to be rarely institutionalized to promote good governance and provide effective healthcare services to vulnerable populations. The provision of more equitable services and honest implementation of SA tools may foster greater accountability and thereby better service delivery for people with mental health problems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How effectively are social accountability mechanisms being applied in mental health services within the newly federalized health system of Nepal? A multi-stakeholder qualitative study

Devkota

Baral

Khanal

et al. 2023

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…What is more, corruption leads to inefficiencies in the expenditure of public funds [5], stifles trust in public institutions [6], and undermines democracy [4]. Corruption most prominently affects poor and marginalized populations, further exacerbating inequities [7] and hindering social and economic development [2,5,[8][9][10]. According to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, the financial cost of corruption is estimated to be approximately 5% of the global Gross Domestic Product [11]; thus, "if all countries were to reduce corruption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of anti-corruption and health in international organizations

Bowra

Saeed²,

Gorodensky³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Corruption is a global wicked problem that threatens the achievement of health, social and economic development goals, including Sustainable Development Goal # 3: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting strain on health systems has heightened risks of corruption both generally and specifically within health systems. Over the past years, international organizations, including those instrumental to the global COVID-19 response, have increased efforts to address corruption within their operations and related programs. However, as attention to anti-corruption efforts is relatively recent within international organizations, there is a lack of literature examining how these organizations address corruption and the impact of their anti-corruption efforts. This study addresses this gap by examining how accountability, transparency, and anti-corruption are taken up by international organizations within their own operations and the reported outcomes of such efforts. The following international organizations were selected as the focus of this document analysis: the World Health Organization, the Global Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank Group. Documents were identified through a targeted search of each organization’s website. Documents were then analyzed combining elements of content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate that accountability and transparency mechanisms have been employed by each of the four international organizations to address corruption. Further, these organizations commonly employed oversight mechanisms, including risk assessments, investigations, and audits to monitor their internal and external operations for fraud and corruption. All organizations used sanction strategies meant to reprimand identified transgressors and deter future corruption. Findings also demonstrate a marked increase in anti-corruption efforts by these international organizations in recent years. Though this is promising, there remains a distinct absence of evidence demonstrating the impact of such efforts on the prevalence and severity of corruption in international organizations.

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“…1 Within the health sector, corruption limits the efficiency of health systems, reduces trust in healthcare institutions and undermines universal health coverage and the right to health. [2][3][4] Corruption can limit access to and undermines the quality of health services and products such as essential medicines. 5 This impacts poor and marginalised populations most profoundly as they tend to be most reliant on publicly provided services.…”

Section: Introduction Health System Corruptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Corruption is a global wicked problem, meaning that it is dynamic and has numerous causes and grave implications 1. Within the health sector, corruption limits the efficiency of health systems, reduces trust in healthcare institutions and undermines universal health coverage and the right to health 2–4. Corruption can limit access to and undermines the quality of health services and products such as essential medicines 5.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-corruption in global health systems: using key informant interviews to explore anti-corruption, accountability and transparency in international health organisations

et al. 2022

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ObjectivesCorruption undermines the quality of healthcare and leads to inequitable access to essential health products. WHO, Global Fund, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Bank are engaged in anti-corruption in health sectors globally. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, weakened health systems and overlooked regulatory processes have increased corruption risks. The objective of this study is thus to explore the strengths and weaknesses of these organisations’ anti-corruption mechanisms and their trajectories since the pandemic began.Design, setting and participants25 semistructured key informant interviews with a total of 27 participants were conducted via Zoom between April and July 2021 with informants from WHO, World Bank, Global Fund and UNDP, other non-governmental organisations involved in anti-corruption and academic institutions. Key informant selection was guided by purposive and snowball sampling. Detailed interview notes were qualitatively coded by three researchers. Data analysis followed an inductive-deductive hybrid thematic analysis framework.ResultsThe findings demonstrate that WHO, World Bank, Global Fund and UNDP have shifted from criminalisation/punitive approaches to anti-corruption to preventative ones and that anti-corruption initiatives are strong when they are well funded, explicitly address corruption and are complemented by strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. Weaknesses in the organisations’ approaches to anti-corruption include one-size-fits-all approaches, lack of political will to address corruption and zero-tolerance policies for corruption. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the necessity of improving anti-corruption by promoting strong accountability and transparency in health systems.ConclusionsResults from this study highlight the strengths, weaknesses and recent trajectories of anti-corruption in the Global Fund, World Bank, UNDP and WHO. This study underscores the importance of implementing strong and robust anti-corruption mechanisms specifically geared towards corruption prevention that remain resilient even in times of emergency.

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Correction to: The influence of corruption and governance in the delivery of frontline health care services in the public sector: a scoping review of current and future prospects in low and middle-income countries of south and south-east Asia

Abstract: An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Cited by 15 publications

References 1 publication

How effectively are social accountability mechanisms being applied in mental health services within the newly federalized health system of Nepal? A multi-stakeholder qualitative study

How effectively are social accountability mechanisms being applied in mental health services within the newly federalized health system of Nepal? A multi-stakeholder qualitative study

An exploration of anti-corruption and health in international organizations

Anti-corruption in global health systems: using key informant interviews to explore anti-corruption, accountability and transparency in international health organisations

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