There were periods when one of the private hospitals had no licence and doctors were not certified to carry out the surgeries. Between 2011 and 2014 some 220 patients died in the two private hospitals involved in the case but no autopsies were carried out. This is the biggest bribery investigation in the health sector since Kosovo became independent from Serbia in 2008. "Some doctors received up to 500 euros in bribes from these (private) hospitals to refer a patient to put in a stent," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. Some patients were later admitted to other hospitals and found not to have had a stent inserted, the statement said.

Source: Standard Digital June 15, 2016 16:18 UTC