St. George University Hospital investigated for massive healthcare fraud

A large-scale investigation has uncovered a scheme to defraud the National Health Insurance Fund through fictitious hospitalizations at the Rheumatology Clinic of St. George University Hospital in Plovdiv. During a police operation at the facility, investigators discovered 15 empty beds and 15 missing patients.

According to Dimitar Pehlivanov, the supervising prosecutor from the Plovdiv District Prosecutor's Office, patient ID cards were being used to maintain the appearance of a constantly full ward to facilitate the fraud. During the investigation, an attempt was made to remove a bag containing these patient ID cards from the hospital.

Professor Mariela Geneva, identified as an organizer of the scheme, testified in court that such fictitious hospitalizations are a systemic issue within the entire healthcare system. The investigation, described by prosecutors as unprecedented in scale for Bulgaria's largest hospital, has resulted in the arrest of several doctors and the collection of significant evidence, including self-incriminating statements.