A court in Plovdiv has kept Prof. Mariela Geneva-Popova in custody. She heads the rheumatology clinic at St George University Hospital. She is charged in a case over fake hospital admissions and check-ups that cost the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) more than €3m.
This report follows our earlier story on nearly 10 people detained in Plovdiv on suspicion of draining NHIF money through fake hospital admissions.
The accountant of the Artmed medical centre, which belongs to Prof. Popova, was freed on €10,000 bail. The two are among six people charged with taking part in an organised criminal group. Prosecutors say the group acted to get money from the health fund illegally.
Prosecutors say the accountant linked the centre with the clinic through referrals for hospital admission, which brought income to both. His lawyers said he also wants to give detailed statements.
In court, Prof. Popova said: "Fake hospital admissions are a serious problem in Bulgarian healthcare. There were such cases in the clinic I headed, and I did not deal with this problem."
So far she has not commented on claims that she was at the root of the fake admissions. She asked for bail instead of custody so she could care for her elderly mother. She said she would apply to leave the hospital at the first chance. "I am deeply sorry for the whole situation, and I apologise to my family, my colleagues, St George hospital and the whole medical profession," the professor said.
On the evening before the hearing, Popova gave investigators a detailed account of what happened and what role each doctor played, prosecutor Dimitar Pehlivanov said. He said the aim was to keep every bed full to bring in more money.
Pehlivanov said her statements and her plan to leave the hospital lower the risk to the public. Without a job at the clinic, he said, her part in the scheme in effect stops. He said the court could replace custody with another measure, but none milder than house arrest.
Popova's lawyers said she has helped the investigation. They said her statements are extremely detailed and, together with other oral and written evidence, clarify the facts and support much of the prosecution's case.
The court did not accept these arguments. It said the doctor's actions were criminal and highly immoral.
Updated (07.10, 18:01): Media reports say the professor's name is Mariela Gencheva-Popova, not Geneva-Popova as first reported. An 82-year-old doctor who worked at the clinic has been released on a written pledge because of a health problem. The Health Ministry is starting checks nationwide. Health minister Katya Ivkova confirmed there are findings of flawed clinical trials, breaches in the prescribing of costly drugs, and data on sick notes. Interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said that just 15 patients cost the state €7,500 a day.