Effects of Corruption on Health Care Processes and Outcomes in Nigeria

Abstract

Corruption remains the most pervasive social problem in Nigeria. In this paper corruption is viewed as the root cause of non-improvement in the health status of Nigerians produced by comparative failures of huge public health expenditures to achieve the objective of reducing epidemic diseases with the attendant high mortalities. The gap between public health investment and public health outcome is largely accounted for by wasteful public health expenditure which is corruption. Merton’s Structural Functionalist Theory of Anomie is used to analyze health policy and legislation, health procurement, availability and access of health care, budgetary appropriation and release in relations to overall health dysfunctions. The paper concludes that the prevailing high level of corruption in health care processes of Nigeria is a function of decades of moral laxity and weak social structures, and it is only a strong political leadership backed by adequate legal and political structures that will halt the impunity of public corrupt practices and catalyze significant improvement in health outcomes.