Anti-corruption Policies in the Italian Public Health Administration

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The Healthcare system, due to the huge business around it and due to the fact that even in times of crisis is a sector that cannot be underestimated, is the scourge of crime by every kind of criminal. Raffaele Cantone, Chairman of the National Anticorruption Authority, said during the 1st National Anti-Corruption Day held in Rome in April 2016 and organized under the project “Healthcare Integrity Assessment” by Transparency International Italia and its partners Censis, RiSSC and ISPE Sanità and funded under the Siemens Integrity Initiative . Healthcare is a sector particularly exposed to corruption, as evidenced by various analysis and researches published in recent years. This is because on the one hand, the resources in the field are remarkable (more than 115 billion per year committed by the Italian Government), on the other hand it is an essential and non-replaceable service. Whether we talk about millionaire bribes for large deals or small sums covertly paid skip a waiting list, the problem is urgent and there are no areas that can be said to be completely safe from criminal infiltrations. This makes the prevention of and the fight against corruption even more complicated because the offense is so pervasive and widespread at all levels that the “standard measures” are unsuccessful. Healthcare requires further efforts and the implementation of innovative and advanced strategies. It must be said that since November 2012, when the Italian anticorruption law was approved, the system could take advantage of several improvements. First, the law established the figure of the “Anticorruption Manager” in every public body and so in healthcare structures too. The role of the anticorruption manager is focused on the prevention of bribes and other misbehaviors and his or her major tool is the “anticorruption plan” that must be published and reviewed every year. So, basically, since 2012 each hospital or healthcare structure should have a firewall against corruption and a manager in charge of coordinating all the activities in the field. It is true that, on the one hand, people awareness is higher than ever before and healthcare structures capacity for intervention is improving, but on the other, there is still the need to invest in training and fill the gap between territorial areas. These are just some of the data published in the 2017 report “Healthcare Integrity assessment”, developed by the project partners.