# Working in one of the world’s most dangerous hospitals during COVID-19 URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/news/working-in-one-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-hospitals-during-covid-19 Type: News Published: 2021-01-28 Updated: 2021-01-27 --- An illustrated story of corruption in Venezuela during a global pandemic ![Illustration: a woman looks outside the window, it is raining, a man in a white doctor coat runs into an hospital,](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/CJ_ALAC_Cover-R.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=2360&h=1327.5) *Illustration: Clayton Junior © Transparency International* 28 January 2021 The [Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020](https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020)highlights how corruption undermines the global health response to COVID-19 and the enormous risks that health care workers take every day to help people fight the disease and stay healthy. The following story is about José\*, a doctor on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela. He is just one of [more than 1,800 people who reported corruption related to COVID-19](https://www.transparency.org/en/citizens-report-covid-19-corruption) to our Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) around the globe. ![Illustrations: a doctor tries to work in an overcrowded hospital, without the right material and running water](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/CJ_ALAC_strip01.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Venezuela's already collapsing health care system to the limit. More than half the country’s doctors [had left](https://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/document/4693/covid-19-doubleemergency-april2020.pdf) in recent years as émigrés or refugees. Doctors and nurses earn as little as [six dollars per month](https://www.npr.org/%3Ft=1597398309689) in public hospitals and often [lack access](https://sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/estaticos/var/www/html/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ENCUESTA-MUV-COVID-19.pdf) to soap and running water, let alone masks, gloves, gowns, and other essential PPE. As a result, doctors make up more than [14 percent](https://eldiario.com/2020/08/27/medicos-muertos-coronavirus-venezuela/) of the COVID-19 death toll in Venezuela. ![Illustrations: the doctor meets an ALAC employee to discuss his situation, he worries about his family](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/CJ_ALAC_strip02.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) In July 2020, José, a doctor at a public hospital in Venezuela, reached out to the ALAC at one of our local chapters, [Transparencia Venezuela](http://www.transparencia.org.ve/), because the risks of his work had become too great. He was worried that without personal protective equipment (PPE), he would become sick and spread the virus to his family. If his wife or children became infected, he lacked an adequate salary to pay for their care. ![Illustrations: the doctor hands out his resignation, but two threatening policemen in black surround him. He anxiously sits at a table with the ALAC employee, who presents is case to a public hearing](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/CJ_ALAC_strip03_Signed-R.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) José tried handing in his resignation, but the hospital administration refused to let him quit. When he insisted, he was threatened by officers from the Special Action Forces (FAES), a branch of the national police that has been [implicated](https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/18/venezuela-extrajudicial-killings-poor-areas) in extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests. José’s decision to speak out, combined with the critical state of the health care system, was taken very seriously by the Transparencia Venezuela staff. The chapter requested a public hearing on the general situation of hospitals and corruption in the Venezuelan health sector before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. The chapter testified about the lack of PPE, water and other supplies, as well as the deteriorated conditions of hospitals. The commission has the power to enforce legal protections for health care workers to ensure their physical welfare. *\*Name has been changed to protect privacy.* ## Priorities - [Health](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/health-and-corruption) ## CPI - [2020](https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020) ## Countries - [Venezuela](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/venezuela) ## Regions - [Americas](https://www.transparency.org/en/region/americas) ## Pages - [Citizens report COVID-19 corruption](https://www.transparency.org/en/citizens-report-covid-19-corruption) For any press inquiries please contact ### You might also like... ## [CPI 2024 for the Americas: Corruption fuels environmental crime and impunity across the region](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2024-americas-corruption-fuels-environmental-crime-impunity-across-region) News • 11 February 2025 The absence of effective anti-corruption measures promotes human rights violations, and increases the influence of elites and organised crime on policy-making. ## [CPI 2023 for the Americas: Lack of independent judiciary hinders the fight against corruption](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2023-americas-lack-independent-judiciary-hinders-fight-against-corruption) News • 30 January 2024 The lack of independence of the judiciary in the region undermines the rule of law and promotes impunity for powerful criminals. ## [CPI 2022 for the Americas: Fertile ground for criminal networks and human rights abuses](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2022-americas-corruption-criminal-networks-human-rights-abuses) News • 31 January 2023 A lack of bold, decisive action to fight corruption and strengthen public institutions fuels organised criminal activities and other sources of violence. ## [CPI 2021 for the Americas: A region in crisis](https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2021-americas-a-region-in-crisis) News • 25 January 2022 With no progress on an average score of 43 out of 100 for the third consecutive year, the countries of the Americas are paralyzed in the fight against corruption. Despite…