Some 93% of the Moldovans offer bribe to doctors or other employees of the health system one way or another. These informal payments amount annually to over 2 billion lei. The people reward the doctors even if they have health policy and benefit from free services, director of the National Health Insurance Company Mircea Buga said in the National Health Forum that was held in Chisinau, IPN reports.

Mircea Buga said the informal payments represent 40% of all the payments in the health system. Many of the patients who offer bribe to doctors do not even earn incomes. They purchase medicines and treat themselves with remittances.

“The informal payments are the most sensitive subject. We should say it frankly that corruption in healthcare is a problem. The patients offer bribe to nurses and doctors and these payments are made by 93% of the total number of patients. This is a crime against the reform initiated in healthcare that discredits all the things done in this sector,” stated Mihai Buga.

Minister of Health Andrei Usatyi said 80% of the people come to have an audience with him complain about informal payments that they have to offer to doctors. “We must pay more attention to this problem which we all know that exists,” he stated, adding that the authorities intend to toughen up the penalties for doctors who encourage the patients to offer them bribe.