WHO Good Governance for Medicines programme: an innovative approach to prevent corruption in the pharmaceutical sector

Overview

Corruption is a major obstacle to strengthening  pharmaceutical  systems and  increasing access to quality  medicines. In an effort to address this  complex and  multi-faceted  challenge, WHO launched the Good Governance for Medicines (GGM) in 2004,  its initiative  to concretely address the need for transparency  and preventing corruption in the health sector. Initially  a pilot project in four Asian countries, the GGM grew rapidly  to  become a global programme implemented in 26 countries, gaining momentum  in  Ministries of Health (MOH).  

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.