St. George University Hospital fraud investigation in Plovdiv

Six individuals have been charged in connection with an organized crime group operating within the St. George University Hospital in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The group is accused of defrauding the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) of approximately 3 million euros through the use of fictitious patients, falsified hospitalizations, and manipulated medical records.

Investigators report that the scheme involved printing copies of former patients' ID cards to bypass hospital scanning systems, allowing non-existent patients to be admitted. Additionally, blood test results were allegedly swapped, with healthy samples being used to replace those with poor indicators to ensure continued funding. The prosecution identifies Prof. Dr. Mariela Geneva-Popova, a clinic head and university dean, as the alleged leader of the group.

In response to the investigation, Dr. Nikolay Boltadzhiev, a member of the NHIF Supervisory Board, has called for a review of the hospital's contract with the fund. He suggested that if repeated violations are proven, the contract should be terminated, questioning how such large-scale irregularities went undetected during previous audits.