Years ago, ASJ investigated the way Honduran public hospitals were buying their medicine – and in the process uncovered corruption that went all the way up to the Vice President of Congress. Since that time, ASJ has helped to oversee a change in the way medicines for public hospitals are purchased – involving a third-party bank and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to reduce opportunities for corruption.
Shining A Light On Corruption In The Health Sector
September 28, 2016
Millions of people in Honduras have difficulty accessing the health care that they need. Public hospitals run out of medicine, are poorly staffed, or keep poor records, which means that the sick too often become sicker instead of being healed. Part of the work of improving health care for all of Honduras includes understanding the root of these problems.
On September 8th, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), Honduras’ national chapter of Transparency International (TI), presented its baseline study and institutional diagnosis of the Honduran Secretary of Health. The technical report was the result of nearly a year of evaluations and audits.
This is the third report from ASJ/TI regarding a sector of the Honduran government. Last November, ASJ/TI presented reports on the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Security.
This baseline report offers an important tool for civil society to use to monitor and evaluate these government ministries, bringing corruption and poor administration into the light.
The Honduran government has committed to addressing the findings that ASJ/TI has included in the baseline report, creating a plan designed to improve public health services. It’s not an empty promise – every six months, the improvement plan will be monitored and evaluated through the TI/ASJ partnership, ensuring accountability.
A summary of some of the key findings is included below – the full executive summary of the report can be read in English here.
AREA OF PURCHASES AND CONTRACTS – Final Score: 39.5%
Though this new process has managed to reduce corruption and ensure that medicines are more cost-effective and higher-quality, many improvements are still required. For this report, ASJ investigated 15 major purchasing processes in detail to identify areas for improvement.
The baseline report’s findings include the following:
- Fines that should have been applied for late deliveries of medicines were not applied – these fines were as high as $10,269 for deliveries as many as 26 days late
- There remains a lack of research into normal market prices for drugs, which in multiple cases leads to overpaying for medicines and medical equipment
- Purchases were made without appropriate contracts that would protect the State in the case of failure to deliver products
- No record was kept of suppliers that repeatedly failed to comply with their contractual obligations. This made it difficult to apply penalties and also meant that contracts continued to be awarded to businesses that failed to comply with requirements in previous purchasing procedures
- There is little to no opportunity for the involvement of civil society in overseeing the purchasing process
AREA OF HUMAN RESOURCES – Final Score: 57%
Ultimately, health care in Honduras depends on the doctors, nurses, and administrators who make up the Secretary of Health. Therefore, it is essential that the people who are hired are qualified, well-trained, and well-managed.
For the baseline report, ASJ studied the process of hiring and firing health personnel, and also looked at the overall planning for human resources.
- One positive is that based on transparency standards, the Ministry of Health obtained a score of 96%, showing clear, complete, orderly, and up-to-date digital information
- Nonetheless, no strategic or comprehensive plan exists for the strengthening and improvement of human resources – a plan that would include information such as institutional diagnostics, improvement plans, and personnel growth plans
- Staffing is not adequate. Only two of 18 departments in Honduras complied with the minimum number of health professionals recommended by the United Nations, with an average of 14 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants versus the recommendation of 23 professionals per 10,000
- Warehoused personnel documents are not standardized or organized, making it difficult to form accurate profiles or have a reliable record of workers. Neither are they digitalized, which means they can be ruined in storage
AREA OF DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT – Final Score: 78.08%
The collection of data and statistics within a government organization is important for accountability, and also to track what works and what doesn’t. ASJ monitored the protocols for the collection of statistical data in the Secretary of Health and verified its reliability.
For the baseline report, ASJ looked at how hospitals track the delivery of prenatal care, care for children under the age of five, and care for patients infected with Dengue.
- Data collection is largely accurate, with employees following effective guidelines to record and track information
- These guidelines, though good, have not been made official, which could limit the consistency of the quality if leadership changes
- Some medical documents were poorly filled out, with either illegible handwriting, or portions torn out or damaged. To remedy this, ASJ recommends more organized warehousing and digitalization of documents
Though these observations may seem minute, they add up to large differences in effectiveness and efficiency within the Secretary of Health.
As the Secretary improves its purchasing processes, it will be able to buy more medicine for less money – meaning fewer people turned away from the care they need. As they improve the management of employees, they will have better-trained and better-managed health care professionals who can better serve the Honduran people. And as they improve the data collection, they will be better able to identify and respond to public health issues and recognize patterns that will help them improve their services.
For ASJ, this baseline report is only the beginning of a long-term commitment to oversee and improve public health in Honduras – with the goal of a more just society.
Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic voter turnout and a peaceful process supported by more than 12,000 national and international election observers working to safeguard transparency.
ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People, Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US
A call to action for Honduras
The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras November 25, 2025
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
Dear friend, I couldn’t stop looking at the picture. Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets. But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer. Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections. As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope. The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened. After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection. So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.
Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!
When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price * by Jo Ann Van Engen
