Seven employees of national private clinics were arrested by officers of the National Anticorruption Center for abuse of power and passive corruption. These are suspected of applying a criminal scheme to collect money from medically insured patients for having X-ray and computed tomography scans, IPN reports.

According to the National Anticorruption Center  and the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, the head of the X-ray and computed tomography section of the National Medical Diagnosis Center organized a network of doctors in state medical institutions and private clinics through which he provided services for money to patients.

As a result of preliminary agreements, the doctors referred the patients for scans avoiding the required appointment scheduling. This way the patients paid money directly to the head of the X-ray and computed tomography section and the sums were not indicated in the hospital’s accounting documents. The involved doctors received commission for each referred patient.

Asa result of searches at the home of the section head, there were found €37,000, US$18,200 and 114,000 lei. The anticorruption officers also seized €80,000, US$ 50,000 and 100,000 lei from a safe deposit box of a commercial bank based in Chisinau. A sum of €150,000 was found in another safe deposit box opened in the name of the same doctor. The origin of the money is to be determined.

There were examined about 100 episodes that involved at least 13 doctors and other medical employees of the National Medical Diagnosis Center, the Institute of Phthisiopneumology, the Cardiology Dispensary and private clinics.