![]() Previous research from Transparency International's Health Initiative shows that efforts to achieve universal health coverage are significantly undermined by widespread corruption in frontline health-care service delivery. The strong association between control of corruption and universal health coverage (see Figure 1) is not surprising. Our research shows that even when accounting for a country’s level of economic development, where corruption is systematic governments tend to spend less on healthcare (see Appendix 1). ![]() Many governments were unable to provide the necessary care to COVID-19 patients due to the long-term underfunding of the health system in their countries. This has been particularly harmful for women both as patients and providers, and through gendered forms of corruption such as sextortion. A recent study from Transparency International’s Health Initiative brought together worldwide evidence of corruption at the point of service delivery during the pandemic, highlighting how it led to lower accessibility and quality of healthcare services. COVID-19 has reminded us of the consequences of corruption on public service delivery and the harmful impact on people’s lives. Where corruption is systematic, funds are often diverted from essential public services such as healthcare or education. In such cases, corruption is likely to cripple the effectiveness of emergency responses. There are many strategies that governments can rely on to prevent corruption in the face of a crisis, but keeping corruption under control is much more difficult where robust anti-corruption mechanisms are not already in place. Our findings suggest that in an increasingly uncertain world, where emergencies abound, fighting corruption is key to ensuring better preparedness for crises responses.
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