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Poor healthcare: 8 in 10 Albanians convinced the system is corrupt

2025-06-05 16:02:22Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA ILDA HOXHA
Poor healthcare: 8 in 10 Albanians convinced the system is corrupt
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A report published by the association "Together for Life" shows that corruption is widespread in the healthcare system. According to experts, corruption in healthcare is one of the most worrying forms for citizens, which, when turned into a common practice, undermines access to healthcare.

"When my mother was in Trauma, they only asked for lek and told us: go get this there. They left people alone while they directed us to buy a prosthesis and all the things needed for the intervention. It doesn't matter who complains, because they don't catch you by the hand." This is just one of the testimonies of family members about their experience with corruption in Albanian hospitals, published in the report "Assessment of the Albanian public's perception of corruption in the health sector" by the association "Together for Life".

The report, published in May 2025, is based on a survey of 1,000 citizens and highlights a very worrying phenomenon in the healthcare sector. The data shows that 8 out of 10 people express the belief that the healthcare system in Albania is corrupt.

"83% of respondents consider the healthcare system to be corrupt," the report states.

Alma Lahe, one of the experts in this report, argues that what affects patients and for which they show greater sensitivity is petty corruption, which they feel directly in their pockets.

"The report published by TFL shows that corruption is a widespread phenomenon in this sector and it is widespread at all levels, starting from 'petty' corruption through the maintenance of service providers who demand or accept informal payments from patients for services that should be provided free of charge, and up to 'grand' corruption involving higher institutions and relating to tendering procedures for infrastructure, equipment or services," Lahe told BIRN.

The report by the Association “Together for Life” shows that corruption has affected all levels of the health system. University hospitals are perceived as the most corrupt by 8 in 10 respondents (81%); regional hospitals are perceived as very corrupt by 76% of respondents, while municipal hospitals are perceived as very corrupt by 60% of men and 55% of women.

The President of the National Council of the Order of Physicians, Dritan Trepça, is aware that corruption in the healthcare system is perceived as one of the most worrying forms of public corruption for citizens.

“One of the most common sources of perceived corruption in healthcare is the practice of bribing or ‘tipping’ doctors, nurses, or other personnel to obtain favorable, faster, or more careful care. These practices, while often justified as ‘tradition’ or ‘thank you,’ in reality fuel an informal payment system that undermines equity in access,” Trepça said.

Causes of corruption

The findings of the report by the association “Together for Life” show that 70% of patients have paid a bribe for the requested service because they were made to understand that otherwise they would not receive that service. Meanwhile, 53% of respondents say they have paid to receive better service, 42% to expedite receiving the service and 22% of patients have been asked to pay directly by staff.

“Three in four participants (75%) report having paid bribes to perform surgeries and treatments. This suggests great pressure on patients to secure adequate treatment in urgent or life-threatening cases,” the report states.

"Visits to public hospitals (56%) and births and obstetric-gynecological care (52%) are among the services for which survey participants admit to having paid a bribe," the report "Assessment of Albanian Public Perception of Corruption in the Health Sector" highlights.

About 2 in 3 respondents (63%) believe that the main cause of the spread of corruption in the healthcare system is the accepted culture of bribery in Albanian society. According to the report, the lack of control and punishment by the authorities is the main factor that encourages corruption in healthcare. Citizens also cite mismanagement and lack of transparency, lack of awareness and courage to report corruption, low salaries of healthcare personnel, and underfunding of the system by the state as the main causes.

Doctor Trepçka from the Order of Physicians says that the perception of corruption in the health sector is one of the obstacles to building a fair, efficient and reliable system.

"Perceived corruption, even when not proven, in any case creates a climate of distrust that harms both the citizen and the professional himself. The solution requires a comprehensive approach: transparency, justice, awareness and strengthening of institutions," he emphasizes.

Lahe from the association "Together for Life" emphasizes that civil society has an important role in monitoring institutions, in order to demand transparency.

"It is the role and mission of civil society to be active in monitoring and in demanding that institutions be more transparent, responsible and accountable," says expert Alma Lahe.

The report's experts recommend, among other things: "To restore public trust, it is essential that corruption cases are pursued and punished in a fair, impartial and timely manner by the relevant authorities. This includes consistent enforcement of the law and avoiding any tolerance for corrupt practices in the health sector."/ BIRN


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