Table 1

Ways in which health personnel misuse their access to pharmaceuticals for personal gain. Frequency with which each type of misuse was reported by 27 Mozambican (M) and 26 Cape Verdean (CV) respondents.


By doctors
By pharmacists
By nurses
By orderlies

Stealing
5 M 6CV
24 M 1CV
19 M 8CV
16 M 4CV
Prescription of unnecessary drugs
20 M 15 CV
25 M 6 CV (during over the counter consultations)
20 M, 8 CV
17 M, 4 CV (during over-the-counter consultations)
Unnecessary prescription of injectables
21 M 15 CV
3 M 11 CV
4 M, 0CV
0M, 1 CV
Prescription of expensive brand names in lieu of generic drugs, particularly in private practice
24 M 15 CV
24 M 11 CV
1 M, 0CV
0M, 0CV
Substituting prescribed brand-name drugs with generics
4 M 16 CV
23 M 1CV
0M, 6 CV
0M, 0CV
Under-the-table payments for supplying supposedly free drugs
24 M 16 CV
0M, 0CV
0M, 0CV
0M, 0CV
Overcharging
4 M 2 CV
24 M 8 CV
0M, 4CV
0M, 2 CV

Ferrinho et al. Human Resources for Health 2004 2:4   doi:10.1186/1478-4491-2-4