Malaysia procurement procedure / Pakistan pharmaceutical sector / Corruption and health care

-

Malaysia lawmakers debate hot issue of 'direct negotiations', previously a byword for graft.  “The term "direct negotiations" in Malaysia usually involves a government ministry or department awarding a project directly to a pre-selected contractor or supplier, instead of calling for an open tender…[The Finance Minister] clarified that direct negotiations are allowed under certain conditions with approval from the Finance Ministry…[but his statement] was quickly drowned out by [MPs]…who said the previous government had said it would stop all direct negotiations.”

The Straits Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-lawmakers-debate-hot-issue-of-direct-negotiations-previously-a-byword-for   

 

Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector: issues of pricing, procurement and the quality of medicines (Working Paper).  “This paper investigates private corruption in the pharmaceutical sector – understood as the capture of rents – as a possible factor harming development…For each of these issues the authors have examined the processes over time that have resulted in the creation of rents and that encourage rent-seeking.”

Kabeer Dawani and Asad Sayeed/Anti-Corruption Evidence SOAS Consortium: https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/pakistans-pharmaceutical-sector/   

 

The influence of corruption and governance in the delivery of frontline health care services in the public sector: a scoping review of current and future prospects in low and middle-income countries of south and south-east Asia (Journal Article).  “The dynamic intersection of a pluralistic health system, large informal sector, and poor regulatory environment have provided conditions favourable for ‘corruption’ in the [Lower Middle Income Countries] of south and south-east Asia region. ‘Corruption’ works to undermine the [Universal Health Coverage] goals of achieving equity, quality, and responsiveness including financial protection, especially while delivering frontline health care services.”

Naher et al./BMC Public Health: https://ace.soas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/s12889-020-08975-0.pdf

Popular posts from this blog

Middle East & North Africa - Ukraine - Sri Lanka

-
Corruption fuels ongoing conflict. The Middle East and North Africa has been in a decline on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for years. The region is also ranked as the "least peaceful region" according to the Global Peace Index. Transparency International (TI) argues that corruption, conflict, and security are profoundly intertwined. TI: https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2022-middle-east-north-africa-corruption-fuels-ongoing-conflict   [Opinion] Ukraine's corruption purge is setting the stage for private investment-driven recovery. Corruption is regarded as a key threat to the Ukrainian economy, depriving public budgets and discouraging foreign direct investments (FDI). The current administration has taken strong anti-corruption action, and the country has witnessed a significant increase in FDI in recent years, says author. DevDiscourse: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/2353089-ukraines-corruption-purge-setting-stage-...
Read more

The Pacific - Nepal - Eastern Europe & Central Asia

-
[Blog] How are perceptions of corruption in seven small Pacific countries? Larger Pacific Island neighbors are often garnering the lion's share of attention both from researchers and policy makers. How are the experiences of corruption in countries like Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), The Cook Islands, Palau, and Nauru? DevPolicy Blog: https://devpolicy.org/perceptions-of-corruption-in-seven-small-pacific-island-countries-20230223/   [Opinion] Two decades of new anti-corruption law in Nepal: Why it missed its mark. According to a Nepalese journalist, the Anti-Corruption law and Prevention of Corruption act of 2002 laid the foundation for numerous investigations, scandals, and court cases. To a large extent, they did however fail to enable significant conviction and return of assets. Online Khabar: https://english.onlinekhabar.com/anti-corruption-law-missing-target.html   [Blog] Growing security risks and authorit...
Read more

Global - Sub-Saharan Africa - Turkey & Syria

-
Invisible Trillions review: Global capitalism operates beyond the rule of law and threatens democracy. Raymond W. Baker's new book "Invisible Trillions" argues that "secrecy has become as important for corporations as transparent and taxable profits used to be". "Only radical improvements across the globe in financial transparency and accountability, and in regulatory capacity and integrity, can break this cycle of political decay and despair". The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/invisible-trillions-review-global-capitalism-operates-beyond-the-rule-of-law-and-threatens-democracy-199311   [Blog] The dynamics of violent extremism in sub-Saharan Africa. There is no better environment for the expansion of violent extremist groups than a vacuum in state authority. These groups begin to compete with the state and may even be initially attractive to communities weary of years of lawlessness, corruption, and chaos according to autho...
Read more