Many state-owned companies obtained fake certificates from doctors who did not even review them.
Viedma.- Receiving a medical certificate to rest is an extra problem for many workers. “Medical certificates are not provided on call” is the policy that governs all private health centers and is maintained even when doctors prescribe injectable medication or antibiotics. In contrast, many state-owned companies obtained fake certificates from doctors who did not even review them.
The Río Negro government is targeting about 20 doctors who signed license certificates without checking patients. According to the Executive, it is a million-dollar fraud. «I denounced two doctors from Alto Valle and we are going to pursue this case until they lose their professional registration. And they are not the only ones; There are 20 other doctors in the province involved,” said Governor Alberto Weretilneck.
The Executive provided details about the investigation and stated that only one of the doctors investigated had granted more than 2,000 days of leave with fake medical certificates.
“They are professionals who issued certificates that generated permissiveness on the part of certain agents not to show up for work, supporting the salary burden on the part of the State, and conspiring against the order that we must impose as employers,” said the Minister of Government, Labor, Modernization and Tourism, Federico Lutz.
After Governor Alberto Weretilneck denounced doctors for falsifying photos and defrauding the State, the Secretary of Public Administration, Tania Lastra, explained that the case of fake medical certificates was discovered because “exhaustive control over medical care is being carried out.” or the non-attendance of public agents at their workplaces.”
The official explained that “we detected an alarming pattern in the issuance of medical certificates, especially by two prominent doctors in our investigation.” According to Lastra, these doctors would have issued hundreds of irregular medical certificates, which resulted in considerable economic damage for the provincial State since days not worked due to illness must still be charged.
“We are talking about more than 2,000 days of unjustified licenses only in the case of a doctor, which represents a million-dollar embezzlement,” added Lastra and emphasized the collaboration of the provincial Ministry of Health to investigate the license plates and credentials of the doctors involved. .
The alleged irregularity led to complaints before the Justice for fraud to the detriment of the public administration” (article 174 inc. 5 of the Penal Code) in an ideal competition (article 54) with “issuance of a false medical certificate” (article 295).
The operation included raids on offices and private homes, where evidence relevant to the investigation was seized. “We are committed to reaching the ultimate legal and administrative consequences, including the possible revocation of registrations,” Lastra said.
They rule out “witch hunt” for medical certificates
The official, who acts as a link between the Government and the state unions, tried to bring peace of mind to the doctors who carry out their work and assured that “the professional who receives a patient in his office who arrives with symptoms and treats him and issues a certificate “You don’t have to be afraid, nor does the employee who needs to justify his absence.”
As a result of these revelations, a legal process has been initiated that could result in severe sanctions for the doctors involved and for those employees who submitted false certificates. Legal actions are expected to seek not only the recovery of diverted funds, but also the application of rigorous disciplinary and administrative measures.
The Executive confirmed that additional investigations have already been opened on another 20 doctors, all suspected of participating in similar practices. For this reason, the Government of Río Negro is committed to taking firm measures to guarantee the integrity of the medical licensing system and protect resources. public of future fraud.
