Main unethical practices, fraud and illegalities in healthcare

They were considered more harmful, that is, with a high impact in the short, medium and long term on the economic chain of the health sector, including risks to patient safety: payments of bribes to health professionals, disguised as financial discounts; medical professionals practicing commercial acts prohibited by regulatory bodies; companies without CNAE in the health sector selling medical devices – covid-19 (government’s easing of the pandemic); inadequate payment for surgical materials, with incentives for the re-sterilization of single-use products; fraud in charges for material used – exchange of material actually sold; falsification of surgical products; fraud in material registrations – products without Anvisa registration; fraud in granting SUS beds – covid-19.

Filipe Venturini Signorelli. executive director of the Instituto Ética Saúde, explains that the study aims to disseminate knowledge about bad practices to professionals in the sector, interested third parties (who work indirectly in the health sector) and patients, with the primary nature of raising awareness and education. “We need to encourage complaints and information for those who can act preventively and coercively to combat such practices that are harmful to health sustainability. Joint action is needed, via the Institute and state regulatory bodies, to better attribute and determine responsibilities, in addition to identifying offenders and possible punishments”.

The study informs how practices harmful to the sector are carried out by opportunistic professionals. “They are malicious, unethical, corrupt people, that is, criminals and devoid of character and real commitment to the economic sustainability of the sector and to the patient’s life. Many of these practices are not crimes typified by law, but they constitute clearly harmful conduct, and this is a matter of course. Ethical dialogue and social responsibility are urgent so that the sector is not suffocated by excessive costs”, concludes the executive director.

The complete survey can be accessed at www.eticasaude.org.br