Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: The goal of the public procurement of pharmaceuticals is to purchase sufficient quantities of high-quality pharmaceuticals at cost-effective prices for a given population. This goal can be undercut if corruption infiltrates the procurement process. Good procurement practices can help mitigate the risks of corruption and support equitable access to affordable and high-quality medicines.Objectives: This paper aims to 1) examine manifestations of corruption in the pharmaceutical procurement process and key factors behind them, and 2) identify how to design and implement effective anti-corruption, transparency and accountability mechanisms within this process.Methods: This paper was informed by a narrative literature review from 1996 to the present. The search focused on publications that addressed the issue of pharmaceutical procurement and governance and corruption issues. Our search included peer-reviewed literature, books, grey literature such as working papers, reports published by international organizations and donor agencies, and some media articles. Some documents used in this paper were already known to the authors.Results: Procurement is highly vulnerable to corruption particularly in the health sector. What is more, corruption in the procurement process does not appear to be limited to any one level of government or type of health system. The better integration of accountability, transparency and anti-corruption mechanisms in the procurement process is needed to reduce the risk of corruption.Conclusions: Lessons learned suggest that anti-corruption, transparency and accountability mechanisms in the pharmaceutical procurement process, such as open contracting and integrity pacts are helpful towards reducing the risk of corruption.
Highlights
The goal of the public procurement of pharmaceuticals is to purchase sufficient quantities of high-quality pharmaceuticals at cost-effective prices for a given population
How corruption can manifest itself in pharmaceutical procurement drivers Klitgaard (1988) explains that there are certain conditions which are a prerequisite for corruption to take place: opportunities to make a profit, a general lack of accountability, and individuals with discretionary powers [8]
This article highlights findings from our narrative literature review that focused on corruption risks in the public procurement of pharmaceuticals and ACTA measures to address it
Summary
The goal of the public procurement of pharmaceuticals is to purchase sufficient quantities of high-quality pharmaceuticals at cost-effective prices for a given population This goal can be undercut if corruption infiltrates the procurement process. The better integration of accountability, transparency and anti-corruption mechanisms in the procurement process is needed to reduce the risk of corruption. Conclusions: Lessons learned suggest that anti-corruption, transparency and accountability mechanisms in the pharmaceutical procurement process, such as open contracting and integrity pacts are helpful towards reducing the risk of corruption. As we seek to advance global access to medicines and other essential goods, we need to consider what are priority challenges to address This includes corruption; public procurement holds the greatest risk for corruption amongst all government functions [3]. While the conditions which lead to corruption within the procurement process are many, what is certainly a facilitator is the potential for substantial financial rewards from large procurement contracts [4]
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