Disciplinary councils in Greece are letting off easy doctors who have received briberies. At the same time, despite dozens of complaints about doctors who receive briberies, only 12 have been prosecuted in the last two years, according to data from General Inspector of Public Administration, Leandros Rakintzis.
However, while these findings are common knowledge for Greek people, only a few doctors practising in public hospitals have been brought to justice, and even then disciplinary actions are practically non-existent.
For example, a doctor who was caught receiving a bribery of 500 euros in March 2011 was found guilty; however his punishment was to have his license removed for one year which was actually offset by the time he had spent on suspension. In the end, the doctor was able to go to work the day after the court ruling.
This blatant case of corruption led the General Inspector of Public Administration to file an appeal to the Council of State against the decision of the Central Disciplinary Committee and request the dismissal of the doctor.
Furthermore, during the last two years, a surgeon in the ICU of AHEPA, a gynecologist in the hospital of Filiata, a University Hospital gynecologist, and a gynecologist from the hospital of Agios Dimitrios have all been prosecuted for passive bribery. Meanwhile, the doctors who have been arrested are: a otolaryngologist for receiving a 2,000 euro bribe, a mastologist for 500 euros, an orthopedic for 600 euros, another orthopedic for 400 euros and finally a surgeon for a 500 euro bribery.
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