While recent research has shown the benefits of ethical behaviour on a variety of employee and organisational outcomes, there is a need for more studies focusing on how ethical leader behaviours influence the delivery of public healthcare. To help understand how ethical leadership (EL) could impact patient care in public hospitals, this study examined the impact of EL from leaders’ perspectives through in-depth interviews conducted in three tertiary hospitals in Pakistan. Findings from this qualitative study showed the prevalence of unethical attitudes and behaviour at different levels within these public hospitals, and that there was recognition of the need for a focus on ethical leader behaviours that would influence employee attitudes and behaviours to improve the quality of patient care. Based on these findings, the paper identifies theoretical and practical contributions.
