Integrity and Corruption in the Health Sector

Integrity in the healthcare means serving the interest of the patients in professional and ethical manner. Corruption, as an opposite of integrity, is defined as" Actions of stakeholders within the health system which are not legally provided for and which do or have the potential to do damage to the public or its interests." Corruption in the health sector is a concern in all countries, but it is considered as a critical problem in developing countries where public resources are already scarce. Corruption reduces the resources available for health, lowers the quality, equity and effectiveness of healthcare services. In this book, the author explores the areas of corruption in the health sector as perceived by representatives of Jordan civil society. The results show that the health sector in Jordan has different corruption areas related to organizers, providers, suppliers, patients and healthcare insurers. Specific interventions and policy directions are proposed to combat or minimize corruption in the healthcare in Jordan and other countries.