Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Nov 8;156(6):958-968.
doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqab046.

Corruption: An Impediment to Delivering Pathology and Laboratory Services in Resource-Limited Settings

Emily H Glynn  1 , Timothy Amukele  2 , Taryn Vian  3
Affiliations
Review

Corruption: An Impediment to Delivering Pathology and Laboratory Services in Resource-Limited Settings

Emily H Glynn et al. Am J Clin Pathol. .

Abstract

Objectives: Corruption is a widely acknowledged problem in the health sector of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Yet, little is known about the types of corruption that affect the delivery of pathology and laboratory medicine (PALM) services. This review is a first step at examining corruption risks in PALM.

Methods: We performed a critical review of medical literature focused on health sector corruption in LMICs. To provide context, we categorized cases of laboratory-related fraud and abuse in the United States.

Results: Forms of corruption in LMICs that may affect the provision of PALM services include informal payments, absenteeism, theft and diversion, kickbacks, self-referral, and fraudulent billing.

Conclusions: Corruption represents a functional reality in many LMICs and hinders the delivery of services and distribution of resources to which individuals and entities are legally entitled. Further study is needed to estimate the extent of corruption in PALM and develop appropriate anticorruption strategies.

Keywords: Capacity building; Clinical laboratory services; Corruption; Global health; Pathology services.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in