Corruption of India and covid-19 on essay
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Corruption of India and covid-19
As communities around the world face an unprecedented global health crisis with the rapid spread of the coronavirus or COVID19 pandemic, our governments’ first priority should be promoting our health and safety.
But extraordinary outbreaks like this one also tend to expose cracks in our health systems, highlighting potential risks and opportunities for corruption – corruption that may undermine the response to the pandemic and deprive people of health care.
Health systems on the brink of collapse
Across the globe, over 164 countries are struggling to keep up with this pandemic. More than 200,000 people have contracted the virus and more than 8,000 have died fighting it – devastating numbers that increase daily.
An extreme volume of patients seeking medical care threatens to overwhelm already fragile national health systems. Many countries face dire shortages in healthy medical professionals able to provide lifesaving care, and have limited testing and treatment options available to treat the coronavirus.
Unfortunately, corruption often thrives during times of crisis, particularly when institutions and oversight are weak, and public trust is low.
Identifying these corruption risks before they happen can help strengthen our global response and get health care to those who need it most.
Procuring drugs and medical equipment
The procurement of medicines and supplies in health systems is typically one of the most vulnerable areas for corruption.
Preventing price gouping
Around the world, countries are reporting shortages in both medicines and medical supplies due to the coronavirus. This puts additional strain on already fragile procurement processes and increases the risk that suppliers, knowing that government have little choice but to pay, may extort governments by demanding higher prices.
Stockpiling supplies such as masks, gloves and hand sanitizer is also contributing to shortages in medical supplies. In attempts to profit from public panic, some traders have been inflating prices for ordinary consumers.
In India, the government responded by setting up a hotline for citizens to report items being sold above the recommended retail price.
Governments and companies must do more to prevent unethical profiteering and the private sector should not put profit before all else.
Sharing information on shortages
As a result of COVID-19, drug manufacturers in China, India and other countries are also scaling back production of prescription medicines, including antibiotics, as well as key ingredients for other drugs.
But despite these shortages of important medicines, government agencies, like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), won’t release the names of these drugs. This lack of transparency is particularly frustrating for providers, patients and consumers who rely on these critical medicines.
Without transparent information about which drugs may experience shortages, health systems have no way of preparing other solutions, such as finding alternative manufacturers.
In times of crisis, rather than protecting corporate interests, governments should make drug shortage information publicly available to ensure access to lifesaving medicines.
Petty corruption at the service delivery level
Forms of corruption carried out by healthcare workers such as informal payments, over-prescribing, favouritism, and nepotism are likely to be exacerbated during an outbreak as the system experiences a greater patient load. These types of corruption can be driven by low wages and poor working conditions and contribute to poor patient perception of public services – affecting health-seeking behaviour.
Furthermore, other forms of low-level corruption perpetrated by patients can also contribute to further disease spread, such as bribing enforcement officials to evade quarantine.
A way forward
- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, it’s important to have open and frank discussions about the vulnerabilities in our health systems that make them more susceptible to corruption.
- Transparency International urges governments to act with greater transparency to improve the procurement of lifesaving medicines and vaccines, promote open and transparent contracts, prevent price gouging of drugs and medical supplies, and share information about important drug shortages in a timely way.
- In addition, governments should improve transparency of clinical trial data so that scientists can build on existing research instead of starting from scratch.
- Equally important, governments should do more to prevent the spread of misinformation, protect whistleblowers in their efforts to save lives and reduce the risk of bribery in hospitals and health centres.
- Finally, reducing the influence of large, private interests is essential for governments to make better decisions for the public good. Public health, not political or corporate interests, must always come out on top.
Answer:
Corruption refers to a form of criminal activity or dishonesty. It refers to an evil act by an individual or a group. Most noteworthy, this act compromises the rights and privileges of others. Furthermore, Corruption primarily includes activities like bribery or embezzlement. However, Corruption can take place in many ways. Most probably, people in positions of authority are susceptible to Corruption. Corruption certainly reflects greedy and selfish behaviour...
Methods of Corruption
First of all, Bribery is the most common method of Corruption. Bribery involves the improper use of favours and gifts in exchange for personal gain. Furthermore, the types of favours are diverse. Above all, the favours include money, gifts, company shares, sexual favours, employment, entertainment, and political benefits. Also, personal gain can be – giving preferential treatment and overlooking crime.
Embezzlement refers to the act of withholding assets for the purpose of theft. Furthermore, it takes place by one or more individuals who were entrusted with these assets. Above all, embezzlement is a type of financial fraud.
The graft is a global form of Corruption. Most noteworthy, it refers to the illegal use of a politician’s authority for personal gain. Furthermore, a popular way for the graft is misdirecting public funds for the benefit of politicians.
Extortion is another major method of Corruption. It means to obtain property, money or services illegally. Above all, this obtainment takes place by coercing individuals or organizations. Hence, Extortion is quite similar to blackmail.
Favouritism and nepotism is quite an old form of Corruption still in usage. This refers to a person favouring one’s own relatives and friends to jobs. This is certainly a very unfair practice. This is because many deserving candidates fail to get jobs.
Abuse of discretion is another method of Corruption. Here, a person misuses one’s power and authority. An example can be a judge unjustly dismissing a criminal’s case.
Finally, influence peddling is the last method here. This refers to illegally using one’s influence with the government or other authorized individuals. Furthermore, it takes place in order to obtain preferential treatment or favour.