Scam against the National Health Service: a thousand drugs without "blanks" seized. 5 professionals reported
12.12.2014 – Valtiberina informs
5 subjects reported to the Judicial Authority and a thousand drugs seized. This time the Guardia di Finanza of Arezzo has tracked down two pharmacists and three doctors from the province of Arezzo who have carried out a complex scam against the national health service.
The scam worked like this: when a drug is purchased with a prescription, the pharmacist removes the die (identification slip with the barcode) to affix it to the doctor's request, so as to be reimbursed by the ASL. The pharmacists discovered by the financiers detached the punches and applied them to false medical prescriptions made by their accomplices. The drug thus appeared to have been sold and was reimbursed. At that point it could really be sold (with a double gain) or destroyed.
During the searches of the premises of the pharmacy involved and the homes of the suspects, in addition to the medicines without punches, about 400 health cards of unsuspecting patients were found, in some cases in originals and in others in photocopies, which were used by the association to issue fictitious medical prescriptions, even for deceased people.
Furthermore, at the homes available to one of the pharmacists, the prescription books registered to the three doctors involved were found and seized, as well as a wet stamp of one of them and several handwritten sheets bearing the names of patients with related drugs to be prescribed.
The medicines without punches were instead hidden in a room at the back of the pharmacy and in some plastic bags. Among other things, the remains of charred pharmaceutical products were found in a piece of land available to the pharmacist.
After the technical checks carried out at the ASL8 of Arezzo, the Fiamme Gialle were able to ascertain that the system concocted by the five professionals had been well structured and had been functioning for several years. The criminal design consisted in the systematic and fictitious prescription of drugs or in the over-prescription of those actually used, all without the knowledge of the patients. The latter, among other things, heard in the proceedings, have disregarded both the prescriptions and the use of the medicines and, in many cases, also the fact that the pharmacist was in possession of his own health card.
In practice, the prescriptions were compiled "at the table", based on criteria of rotation of the medical prescriptions among the various patients, all to avoid possible alarm bells from the supervisory bodies of the ASL 8.
All the professionals have been reported to the local Public Prosecutor's Office and to the Court of Auditors of Florence for the damage caused to the national health service which amounts to around 50,000 euros.
The Guardia di Finanza, in line with the strategic priorities outlined by the Government Authority, continues to commit itself to a systematic approach against waste in terms of public expenditure, in which health expenditure is undoubtedly one of the most elevated.
So when buying medicines without prescription, you have to pay attention to the packaging: if it doesn't have the sticker with the barcode, there's something wrong and it's a good idea to get the Guardia di Finanza or the ASL bodies in charge of supervision interested.
Pescara. Gynecologist ends up in trouble, in his study expired drugs and unsterilized tools
Pescara. Non-sterile medical devices for diagnostic tests and about 700 medicines that have expired even for over a year. This is the balance of the kidnapping carried out in a gynecological surgery of Vasto, in the province of Chieti by the Carabinieri of the Nas of Pescara.
The soldiers of the Antisophistication Unit in collaboration with their colleagues from the local Company, in the course of investigative activities directed by the deputy public prosecutor of Vasto, Enrica Medori, searched a gynecological surgery in Vasto where medical devices for diagnostic tests were found and seized ( speculum) non-sterile, in addition to expired sterility medical material as well as about 700 medicinal products that have expired even for over a year. THE
The doctor, owner of the practice, suspected of performing illegal surgical practices, was reported for administering faulty and imperfect drugs. The Nas are also examining the paper material, analyzes and other documents found in the study, deemed useful for investigative purposes.
