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High-level corruption cases in the Western Balkans and Turkey

Stent 3: Medical treatment in private clinics - High-level corruption cases in the Western Balkans and Turkey

Stent 3: Medical treatment in private clinics

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Introduction

In October 2014, media outlets revealed text messages between public and private hospital doctors in which offers of bribes were made for patient referrals.

The messages brought to public attention the doctors’ abuse of the Programme for Treatment outside Public Health Institutions, established by the Ministry of Health. The prosecution alleged that 13 directors and medical doctors from private health institutions abused this scheme in cooperation with public hospitals.

Country
Kosovo
Sector
Health and pharma
Offence
Illegal pharmaceutical and medical activity
Phase
1st instance procedure

Description of the case

In October 2014, media outlets revealed text messages between public and private hospital doctors in which offers of bribes were made for patient referrals.

The messages brought to public attention the doctors’ abuse of the Programme for Treatment outside Public Health Institutions, established by the Ministry of Health. The prosecution alleged that 13 directors and medical doctors from private health institutions abused this scheme in cooperation with public hospitals.

Three private hospitals (International Medicine Hospital, EDA Hospital and Doktor) allegedly participated in the scheme and bribed doctors from public hospitals. The primary beneficiaries would have been the International Medicine Hospital and EDA Hospital.

For each referral, the doctors allegedly gave bribes of €500 for patients referred for stent placement and €150 for patients sent for coronary scans. Depending on the number of stents placed, there were cases where patients had paid up to €14,000, while for coronary scans, patients paid at least €600. An estimated 233 patients have been referred to private healthcare institutions from medical doctors in public hospitals all over Kosovo (see here and here).

There are claims that besides cases that could not be treated in public institutions, some patients who could have been treated at Kosovo University Hospital and the Clinical Service Cardiology Clinic in Pristina were referred for treatment to private hospitals (see here and here).

Stent 3 is associated with two other criminal procedures: Stent 1, in which the former Minister of Health and Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health were charged with abuse of official position or authority, and Stent 2, relating to the public hospital doctors involved in this case.

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