E-DRUG: Governance & Corruption in the Pharmaceutical Sector: Workshop Sept 29
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GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR:
CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES
WORKSHOP SEPTEMBER 29TH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
BACKGROUND
Corruption, understood as “the misuse of entrusted power for private gain,” is considered to be one of the biggest barriers to human development and economic growth.
Corruption is without borders; it can be found in any country, in different forms, levels, and types of organizations and institutions. In the health sector annually, an estimated $5.3 trillion is spent worldwide on providing health services, yet as much as 6 percent or $300 billion USD is lost to corruption and errors according to the World Health Organization.
Corruption negatively impacts public health budgets, the price of health services and medicines, and the quality of care and medical products; as well, it threatens a country’s ability to provide universal health coverage by increasing the price of health care.
Corruption diverts resources from the public sector, making it difficult to appropriately fund operations and maintenance that help ensure increased access and quality care. The pharmaceutical sector is particularly vulnerable to corruption given it is lucrative, technically complex, and composed of many stakeholders with varying degrees of accountability.
This one day seminar will provide an opportunity for health care professionals and researchers to gain a deeper understanding of how corruption and lack of good governance can have an impact on pharmaceutical services and importantly provide strategies and tactics to educate participants on how to counter vulnerabilities within the sector.
Objectives
* To introduce and discuss concepts of governance and corruption and explain how they relate to the pharmaceutical sector
* To educate participants on how to identify potential areas of weak governance that can lead to poor results in pharmaceutical services
* To highlight anti-corruption initiatives, strategies and tactics relevant to the pharmaceutical sector
The course is targeted to health professionals, students and health policy researchers.