Extortion: Former physician must answer for himself before court
A former neurosurgeon and its administrative boss were accused of joint extortion. Between 2004 and 2005 are the two additional costs of some patients of the district hospital Bühl demanded habten, in order to accomplish operations. Both deny the act. The judgement is to fall in the middle of Decembers.
Baden-Baden - a former physician of the district hospital Bühl and the ex administrative boss of the hospital must answer for themselves for Monday because of joint extortion before the regional court Baden-Baden. The 68-jährige neurosurgeon is to have required 2004 and 2005 under reference to allegedly particularly expensive implants donations at a value of 3000 to 5000 euros of patients with painful spinal column illnesses. Other case one is to have placed than Konsiliararzt the active medical profession later operation dates in prospect or the patients to other hospitals have referred. The demanded donations were paid in at least eight cases to the district hospital.
The neurosurgeon denied the reproach of the extortion. Its procedure was “completely normally”, said the German Iranian. Such donations to a hospital with particularly expensive operations are “common” in the USA, where it worked a time long. It wanted to help the hospital financially which is at pressure in this way in Bühl.
Administrative chief is to have known everything
“It did not have, said moral pangs of conscience” the physician, who implemented about 350 operations according to own data for the 70's in the year. The judge asked it whether a compulsion did not lie in it that he is to have said patients, her could only in three years is operated, if they did not pay the donation. Whereupon the accused said: “That was not a compulsion. All 20 kilometers there are someone, similar operations makes nevertheless.” The patients could have gone also into another hospital. The accused - a formerly appreciative specialist for spinal column illnesses - is today no more than physician actively.
From view of the public prosecutor's office extortion is present, because the costs of the necessary implants would have been taken off by the drop lump sums of the legal and private health insurances in each case. The prosecutors assume the 39-jährige former administrative chief, which had signed the appropriate donation receipts, into which punishable practice was inaugurated.
Account fraud in nine cases accused
The accused physician said, it had made the proposal require such donations. The ex administrative boss contradicted that vehemently: It gave, stressed “no request meinerseits to a advertisement of the donations” it. It gave “no arrangements and no act plan”. When it experienced from complaints of patients because of the donations, it forbade to the physician to call further donations in because this no good light throws on the hospital.
It is correct that it signed the donation receipts. “I however always proceeded from content and rich patients, who wanted to do”, said the 39-Jährige to the hospital of something property.
The public prosecutor's office accuses to that neurosurgeons besides in nine cases account fraud and - in connection with three alleged treatment errors - negligent bodily injury. For the process six days of the hearing are set. 21 witnesses and two experts are to be heard. The judgement is expected on 9 December. With extortion threaten up to five year detention
