Rzeszów woman doctor faces 307 corruption charges over alleged bribes for hospital admissions

Charges against the doctor

A 64-year-old woman who headed a ward at one of the hospitals in Rzeszów and also served as a court expert (biegła sądowa) has been charged with 307 corruption offences. Police from the anti-corruption unit of the Rzeszów Voivodeship Police detained her on Monday, 9 November, and brought her to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów, which supervises the investigation. Police spokesman Piotr Wojtunik said the evidence gathered in the case fully confirmed the alleged scheme. He added that further charges cannot be ruled out.

How the alleged scheme worked

Investigators say the woman accepted branded alcohol or cash of between 50 and 300 zloty from the carers of her patients, in exchange for starting treatment or securing a place on the ward. She is also suspected of writing false entries in patients' medical records and reporting documents. Those documents were then submitted at other medical facilities as settled, NFZ-reimbursed services. Police found that private visits were recorded the same way, as if they had been carried out under an NFZ contract, so that the clinics could claim reimbursement.

Wojtunik said the woman saw patients both under NFZ contracts and privately in her office. For the private visits she paid no rent or upkeep for the consulting room, which police treat as a financial benefit. Investigators say she turned the scheme into a steady source of income.

Searches and custody

Officers searched her medical office and the cars she used to secure documents and other items that could matter to the case. The court ordered three months' remand custody. Under the charges she faces a prison sentence of up to eight years.

What comes next

The investigation remains open under the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów. Police say the evidence collected so far covers the full scope of the alleged scheme, and the number of counts could grow.