good governance practices for the protection of human rights

Importantly, the practice of social audits raised awareness among civil society,
politicians and the public of the link between corruption, the right to know and
the right to a livelihood. A national grass-roots movement triggered broad debate
and a nationwide demand for the public’s right to scrutinize official records,
which contributed to the adoption of right-to-information legislation in nine
States and of the 2005 Right to Information Act, which applies to all Indian
States. This bill governs the public’s access to information and prescribes
penalties for State officials failing to provide it.
However, activists recognize that transparency is only one step towards ensuring
that the poor can have a meaningful influence on decision-making processes and
development policies. In addition to guaranteeing the right to information, it is
crucial that people are consulted on how they should be governed. This requires
continued engagement and winning the right to participation in policy formulation
as well as implementation.
D. Combating bribery in the public health sector – Poland
Issue
Corruption in the health-care sector results from a number of factors, including
the lack of clear standards for evaluating the performance of providers, the lack of
effective oversight and the absence of monitoring. In Poland, bribery is common
in the medical and health-care system. In the late 1990s, a number of high-profile
reports by Poland’s highest auditing body—the Supreme Chamber of Control—and
the World Bank discussed the prevalence of corruption in the health-care sector.
Surveys conducted by the Batory Foundation also indicated the extent of the problem.
According to a 2001 survey, medical doctors were perceived to be the most
corrupt professional group and, in 2003, the health sector was perceived to be the
second most corrupt sector and 61 per cent of patients admitted offering bribes to
doctors. The low salaries of health professionals combined with a lack of ethics
training, a non-transparent system of financing by the National Health Services and
underfunded clinics create a fertile ground for bribery.
The prevalence of bribery in the public health sector results in practices that violate
the right of every person to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard
of physical and mental health. Bribery creates discrimination in the access to
medical care in favour of those patients able to pay bribes.
Response
The prevalence of corruption in the public health sector needed to be addressed
through a number of methods. In addition to appropriate legislation forbidding bribery
in the health sector, society’s recognition of the problem was essential as was
the formation of alliances among civil activists, the media and the medical profession.
Furthermore, appropriate governance mechanisms were required to inject
accountability and transparency into the management of health services. In 2001,
the establishment of the Medical Task Force, consisting of civil and human rights
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