Reggio Calabria – The Carabinieri NAS conducted a surgical raid against a criminal network that plundered the National Health Service with phantom supplies of medical gas.
Twelve precautionary measures—including arrests, confinement orders, and bans—were carried out at dawn by order of the investigating judge of the Reggio Calabria Court, culminating in a rapid investigation coordinated by the Reggio Calabria Prosecutor's Office.
The operation, conducted by the Anti-Adulteration and Healthcare Unit of Reggio Calabria with the support of the Naples Health Protection Group and local departments, decapitated a cross-section of the organization: the owner and employees of a local transport company, the sales manager for Calabria of a multinational medical gases company, pharmacists, specialists and general practitioners from the Reggio Calabria Health Authority, intermediaries, and compliant patients (some unaware, others fictitious).
The scam was reconstructed step by step. The mechanism was well-oiled: they faked the delivery of oxygen cylinders for oxygen therapy, which were never actually delivered. They used counterfeit treatment plans, falsified medical prescriptions, and forged transport documents.
The costs of non-existent supplies were passed on to the Regional and National Health System, inflating illicit reimbursements by amounts yet to be precisely quantified.
The investigations uncovered unauthorized access to computer systems to alter data, false information, and a corruption network linking the public and private sectors. Among the various crimes charged were: conspiracy to commit aggravated fraud, material and ideological forgery, unauthorized practice of the healthcare profession, corruption, embezzlement, and personal aiding and abetting.
The investigating judge didn't limit his focus to individuals: he ordered the precautionary seizure of the transport company specializing in the management and distribution of medical gas, along with €48 in the coffers of the multinational supplier. This strikes at the heart of an illicit business that exploited the fragility of the healthcare system, posing potential risks to public health.
Investigations are continuing to estimate the extent of the financial damage and identify any hidden accomplices.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
This is very serious news, but I wonder how such a large network could operate without being discovered first. I hope the investigations can lead to concrete results and justice for the victims.