Health Minister highlights 3 areas most vulnerable to corruption

The services, the public procurements and the conferment of disability degrees are the most vulnerable areas in terms of corruption in the healthcare system. The statement was made by Minister Larisa Catrinici Tuesday at the reunion of the working group monitoring the implementation of the Country Threshold Program (CTP) of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Minister says multiple steps have been taken to combat corruption in healthcare and in improvement medical assistance. They have developed National Clinic Protocols meant to raise the assistance standards. In order to enhance the transparency, the hospitals have developed their web sites meant to enable patients to get informed and schedule their visits to the doctors. Larisa Catrinici says they will develop legal amendments in order to improve the public and private healthcare systems. The patients may be entitled to ask for damages in case of poor assistance. She acknowledges many complain of the healthcare services provided, but no investigation has proved them to be true. The executive manager of Transparency International Moldova, Lilia Carasciuc, believes a reason why the bribe taking cases do not get confirmed is because the patients do not feel they are safe enough and avoid to say they have been asked for money. “We should teach the people not to offer presents to doctors because it's namely why the doctors lean toward corruption,” the Health Minister said. Although the civil society representatives have shown dissatisfaction that the Ministry fails to stick to the deadlines provided for by the CTP, the international experts showed themselves happy with the achievements in fighting corruption in the healthcare area. “Despite the breeched deadline, the Ministry shows flexibility in cooperating with other structures. The result: better reforms, not faster reforms,” Roger Vaughan, an international expert said.