Greek Pediatric Surgeon Investigated for the Deaths of 15 Children

A Greek pediatric surgeon is suspected of being responsible for the deaths of 15 children or more and is currently being investigated by the authorities.

The suspect is reportedly a 60-year-old cardiologist who works at private medical practices in Athens and Thessaloniki. There are now rumors circulating that he has left Greece. An international warrant for his arrest may be put out depending on the results of the investigation.

The investigation was launched after parents spoke out about their experiences. A higher-than-accepted mortality rate among patients has raised suspicions, as well as the testimonies of parents who say that the surgeon gave a litany of excuses for failed operations.

Greek surgeon suspected for the deaths of 15 children

Suspicions were first raised when the bereaved parents spoke out about their experiences. Other parents whose children are now suffering from severe health complications have also spoken out.

“The anger and indignation we feel at seeing our children leave our lives no longer allows us to remain silent and idle,” reads the letter penned by the grieving parents.

The patients were treated at two private hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki where the cardiologist, who is said to be a well-known heart surgeon in his sixties, works.

The initial communication from the parents was directed to the Central Health Council (KESY) on April 23, 2021. A dedicated commission was appointed to conduct an investigation. Unfortunately, the progress of the investigation came to a halt at the beginning of 2023.

Now, however, the investigation appears to have promptly resumed and the Justice and Police departments have reportedly collected over 40 testimonies from parents as a part of their investigation.

A “false Messiah”

Some of the parents who gave their testimonies about the suspected surgeon claimed that he is a “false Messiah”.

The Greek heart surgeon, who is being blamed for the deaths of the children, was accused by the parents of giving wild excuses for fatalities and botched operations.

In some cases, he reportedly blamed faulty machinery or a failure of the medicine to work as expected. In other cases, he blamed his colleagues and other members of the medical staff. He is even said to have blamed the parents for failing to seek medical attention for their children sooner.

According to the letter of the parents, the mortality rate among patients was unacceptably high. In one of the clinics, “20% of the children died” whereas many of those who survived “never regained consciousness.”

The as-of-now unidentified pediatric surgeon has also been accused of “collecting large sums of money” through a supposedly non-profit charitable organization.