Theft, bribery and extortion rob millions of proper healthcare, says Global Corruption Report 2006

1 February 2006, Berlin / London – Corruption in the health sector deprives those most in need of essential medical care and helps spawn drug-resistant strains of deadly diseases, says Transparency International's Global Corruption Report 2006, published today.

For the millions of poor held hostage by unethical providers, stamping out corruption in health care is a matter of life and death. “Corruption in health care costs more than money. When an infant dies during an operation because an adrenalin injection to restart her heart was actually just water — how do you put a price on that?” said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International. “The price of corruption in health care is paid in human suffering.”