A Greek doctor employed by the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) has been dismissed and is under police investigation after allegedly demanding and receiving money from the parents of a patient at least four times.
The case came to light when the father of a young patient, who had a congenital health condition and later died, reported the incident on national broadcaster CyBC1’s morning news programme.
SHSO terminated the doctor’s contract, whilst police launched an investigation into the matter.
The Cyprus Medical Association requested details to initiate its own procedures, and the Ministry of Health sought legal counsel.
The ministry also froze payments to the Athens medical centre where the patient underwent surgery and died.
According to the father’s complaint, the doctor requested and received amounts ranging from €150 to €300 on at least four occasions. In a fifth instance, he demanded €1,700.
The incidents occurred while both the doctor and the patient’s family were in Athens, where the young patient had been referred for surgery through the health ministry’s patient referral programme.
The father submitted evidence to the health ministry last week, including copies of text messages and emails in which the doctor requested money.
In one message, the doctor allegedly told the parents they should appreciate what he had done for their child and pay the amount requested.
The messages revealed that the doctor consistently emphasised he could not issue receipts for the payments, acknowledging it was illegal for public sector doctors to receive payments from patients.
“This is unacceptable. Public sector doctors should not ask for money from patients or their parents,” Sotiris Koumas, president of the Pancyprian Government Doctors’ Union told philenews. Health Minister Michalis Damianou called the incident “shameful”.
The doctor had been employed by SHSO for only 18 months before his dismissal. His termination creates a significant gap in healthcare provision, as he was one of only two specialists in his field in the public sector, with very few such specialists practising in Cyprus overall.
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