Eight-day detention orders against the executive director of the General Hospital of Nicosia and director of the Otolaryngology Clinic, Giannakis Kyamidis, and the doctor of the same clinic, Vasken Siaferitian, were issued on Saturday by the District Court. A case of financing of public officials in the field of Health is being investigated against them.
The police investigator had asked the Court to issue eight-day detention orders for both.
An arrest warrant was also issued against a doctor of the Larnaca General Hospital, but he is absent abroad and is expected to return within a week.
According to the complaint, public doctors were sending patients to a specific Acoustic Center in Nicosia for a fee. Kyamidis was arrested at a medical center with a file in his hand which contained 600 euros in marked banknotes. The offenses were allegedly committed from 2008 until today.
Angelidis: Anyone who has information should give it to the Police
Police urge the public, if they have any information regarding the case of the arrest of doctors for kickbacks, to submit it for investigation.
In a statement from Limassol, the spokesman of the Police Headquarters, Andreas Angelidis, stated that the Police is investigating a serious case in relation to the offenses of conspiracy to commit a crime, embezzlement, abuse of power, deceit and abuse of trust. The offenses have been committed from 2008 until today.
"Yesterday, the Police acted quickly and methodically and proceeded to arrest 2 persons and they have appeared in court today and a detention order was secured for a period of 8 days.
"In the context of this case, testimonies will be taken from persons who will testify in relation to this case. "Any person deemed appropriate and of course, depending on the developments, the Police will continue to fully investigate this case," said Mr. Angelidis.
"Given the peculiarity of the case and the facts under consideration, it should be noted that anyone who has information or evidence that may help this case or any other case related to such matters should submit it to the Police in a timely manner," he said. Mr. Angelidis.
"It should also be noted that the ultimate reason for the guilt of any person is justice and our position is that the case will be fully investigated," he said.
Mr. Angelidis stated that in addition to the two persons who have been arrested, there is an arrest warrant for another person who according to information is abroad and is expected to return to Cyprus next week. In case he does not return, there is a relevant procedure that will be followed, said Mr. Angelidis.
Mr. Angelidis stated that the complaint was made by the specific medical center and from there the Police proceeded to investigate the data with yesterday's result that the file with the 600 euros was found in the possession of the person.
"We urge anyone if they have information to give it to the Police because there is definitely the possibility to help or any information may arise for another case" as noted by Mr. Angelidis.
Determined to fight any kind of corruption phenomenon, the Ministry. Health
The Ministry of Health is determined to fight any kind of corruption, he assures in his announcement today.
As he states, the information that saw the light of day yesterday and today and brings officials of the Ministry of Health to be involved in financing cases, can only cause sadness and concern to all of us.
"Awaiting the outcome of the relevant investigations, and with absolute respect for the work of the investigating authorities and the Judiciary, we confirm the determination of the Ministry of Health to crack down on any kind of corruption," it said.
Events like these, the Ministry of Health continues, highlight the urgent need for a complete reform of the public health sector as the current system in public hospitals, as it operates today, does not help transparency and combating such phenomena.
"In any case, the administration of the Ministry of Health, and until the complete reform is achieved, will not stop showing zero tolerance for any phenomenon of corruption, at whatever level it is located," the statement concludes.
PASYKI: To be attributed if there are responsibilities
The Pancyprian Union of Government Doctors (PASYKI) condemns cases in which public hospitals are being bribed and we are sorry about the case with the arrest of doctors, although the case is still under investigation and nothing has been proven, said its president, Sotiris Koumas.
In his statements to KYPE, regarding the arrests of doctors who are allegedly involved in a financing case, Mr. Koumas said that we must emphasize that whenever this issue arises, PASYKI demands from the competent authorities to investigate and assign responsibilities where exist if any.
To say, he noted, that from time to time this issue is highlighted periodically either by complaints from patients or through information that the media have, or even after statements by competent persons, even by the minister.
"I must remind you that in the recent past we had such a statement from the Minister of Health himself. When the statements were made some time ago, we asked if there are such complaints and data of the Ministry of Health, since it is the competent authority which has the mechanisms of investigation as well as the mechanisms of accountability - if any - to go to this end. the case ", he added.
Unfortunately until now, he continued, we have never seen that. "While there are complaints, announcements, statements that doctors take envelopes or are paid - a tangible example that this is true, we have not seen any accountability in practice."
This is the first time, said the president of PASYKI, that the Police have made arrests after a direct complaint that was not made either by the competent authority that is the Ministry of Health or by a patient but by a company.
"We demand that the case be fully investigated, even if there are responsibilities to be attributed," he stressed.
At the same time, he said, "we must declare that it is not tolerable to victimize all the doctors who work in public hospitals. It is known, he noted, that in all professions there is something wrong somewhere ".
"And this is where the role of the employer side is to seek to find the causes and assign responsibilities. At the same time we must analyze to find the reasons why such conditions are created with such results in public hospitals. "Unfortunately this did not happen, at times it is used as an argument that one of the evils of public hospitals is that doctors are paid."
"We believe," he continued, "that it is not the main problem of public hospitals, but it will certainly worsen the already very bad situation in which public hospitals are now."
Asked if he had any contact with the Minister of Health, the president of PASYKI answered in the negative. "Not at this stage," he noted.
PIS: He broke the abscess
For his part, the head of the Ethics Committee of the Pancyprian Medical Association (PIS), Vassos Oikonomou, said that "he finally broke the abscess". Speaking on state radio's Morning Schedule, he lamented the bribery of health workers and dismissed allegations that all doctors were corrupt.
He revealed that in the same way in the past, a doctor had been arrested in Larnaca but the then Attorney General did not proceed with the case citing health reasons of the doctor. He also added that the PIS has signed public doctors who practice medicine privately, but for eight complaints he received the answer that they were not substantiated.
Mr. Economou indicated that until someone is convicted he is innocent. He added that in case of conviction, the PIS will proceed with disciplinary investigation and imposition of a sentence.
PASYKAF: Doctors have been funded for years
For many years, the president of the Pancyprian Federation of Associations of Patients and Friends (PASYKAF), Marios Kouloumas, spoke about financing public health officials, adding that complaints are often made to various organizations as well as to the Ministry of Health, mainly about waiting lists referral of patients to private clinics.
Mr. Kouloumas, however, pointed out that many complaints do not end up in the competent bodies, because patients are afraid that they will no longer be provided with medical care.
He also noted that no one knows the outcome of cases that are reported as they are examined behind closed doors. He also referred to the urgent need to change the system in order to eliminate the phenomena of financing.
Source: KYPE