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Kovesi: Foreign companies involved in healthcare corruption, bribery from foreign accounts
Chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi said on Monday that foreign companies are also involved in the widespread corruption in the healthcare system, and underscored the need for a strategic approach in the field.
''DNA's ongoing investigations reveal that corruption is perpetrated in the same recurring manner. In the absence of clear prevention and control measures, the pattern of the investigated offences and the mechanisms that made them possible are repeated. A strategic approach for the prevention of corruption is required, especially when it comes to areas that directly affect the lives of citizens, such as healthcare," Kovesi told a debate in Bucharest on corruption in the healthcare system — prevention and investigation; experience, good practices and challenges.
She cited the example of a DNA action last week that caught a county hospital manager red-handed while taking bribe for a public procurement contract; the same manger had been sent to court in 2014 for the same kind of offence. "Unless the investigative effort of law enforcement bodies is accompanied by preventive measures to change particular procedures, introduce management and control mechanisms, the citizens will further be affected,'' said the DNA chief prosecutor.
Kovesi advocated the removal from office of the persons investigated and convicted for corruption.
''If those investigated and convicted for corruption are not kicked out the public offices they used to obtain illegal benefits, we will further have public servants receiving grease money to conclude public procurement contracts. Corruption in the healthcare system is the result of non-transparent spending of public money. As long as public procurement planning is not transparent, the budget will be further used for overpriced deals. Public money will be further used to buy expensive equipment from obscure companies while hospitals are unable to provide minimum care conditions for their patients,'' added Kovesi.
According to the DNA head, investigations have revealed that sometimes the money offered as bribe are paid through accounts opened with foreign banks, most often into offshore accounts.
''Foreign companies are also involved in the corruption of the healthcare system, therefore holding the Romanian and foreign legal entities which handle the marketing of medicines and medical equipment criminally accountable is a priority for DNA. (...) It is important that we work on cases where we cooperate with organisational partners that also investigate the companies in question (...) and the exchange of information is essential,'' said the DNA head.
According to her, bribe levels in the healthcare system are higher than in other areas, with more than 75 people having been sent to court over the past years for corruption in this area.
''Investigating corruption in the healthcare system has been a priority with DNA. Ove the past two years, more than 75 people were sent to court over corruption in the healthcare area. (...) The types of offences investigated by DNA related to claiming, taking or giving cash, between 10 and 20 percent of the value of public procurement contracts. A specific component of the healthcare system investigations revealed that brining in the healthcare system is higher than in other areas. While, for instance, bribe size would be 10 percent of the contract value in construction and infrastructure, most of the healthcare public procurement contracts would regard bribe to the tune of 20 percent of the contract value,'' said Kovesi.
She added that a high-ranking official with the Health Ministry, a director of the ministry, eight hospital managers of directors, one county council chair and then doctors were investigated and sent to court in 2015.
''One third of the county council chairs in Romania are sent to court by DNA over corruption or corruption-related offences, with some of them having been investigated in connection with healthcare procurement or funding services provided by companies directly or indirectly controlled by them. Our probes have revealed diversified types of corruption related to the healthcare system. Thus, the corruption offences detected by DNA regarded health care provisions, fraudulent issues of medical certificates or decisions, drug prescriptions, hiring to public hospital offices, approving market release for medicines, reimbursements of medical services or drugs by insurance companies, procurement of medicines and medicinal substances, medical equipment and devices, construction or refurbishing of hospital units, as well as conflicts of interest between those responsible with funding the system and those controlling healthcare companies,'' said Kovesi.
In her opinion, corruption has a direct impact on everyone. ''In many instances, the amounts in bribe to functionaries are in their turn obtained fraudulently - from tax evasion, embezzlement or other offences generating material benefits. Thus, the additional costs incurred on business operators by corruption offences are reflected on the quality and price of their services. (...) The citizens are affected by medicine quality and the quality of medicinal products in hospitals when their procurement is done by bribe giving. The citizens pay higher prices when bribe is paid for the market release of medicines,''said Kovesi.
She added that bribe givers should be discouraged, along with the bribe takers.