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A study conducted Europewide shows that 68 percent of Romanians perceive corruption as a phenomenon that affects their daily lives, Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi told a debate on Tuesday on corruption in Romania's public healthcare system.
She added, quoting the same study, that in the case of Romania the health system was mentioned by 58 percent of the respondents as the most affected by corruption, as against only 31 percent elsewhere in the European Union.
"Corruption in the public health system translates into costs borne by patients directly because they are covered from their own pockets, or indirectly because they are affected and the social security budget is damaged. We have often found in our investigations that the extra cost that private-owned firms pay as a bribe is reflected in the quality and cost of services that citizens receive," said Kovesi.
Kovesi took part in a debate called "Corruption in the public healthcare system - Analysis of DNA cases solved by court under final and binding convictions between 2015 and 2017." Attending the event were also Attorney General Augustin Lazar, representatives of the judiciary, as well as NGOs dealing with healthcare and the fight against corruption
