Zurich public prosecutor's office investigates Doctor allegedly made millions with fictitious coronavirus tests

A doctor from Aargau is suspected of having made millions during the pandemic by buying patient data and billing for coronavirus tests that were not carried out.

A doctor with Turkish-Swiss roots from Aargau is accused of having swindled around CHF 1.5 million during the coronavirus pandemic by buying patient data and billing for coronavirus tests that were not carried out. This is according to theSonntagszeitung.

During the pandemic, testing was a key means of containing the virus. The federal government paid 36 francs per test to doctors and test centers. Only basic patient data was required for billing, which facilitated fraud.

The doctor is said to have obtained patient data from a friend and tattoo studio owner in the Zurich area, among others. It is suspected that he also tried to obtain further data records via health insurance company employees, the newspaper continues.

Whistleblower alerted the FOPH to fraud

A whistleblower informed the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) in 2022 about suspicious activities in which a colleague asked for contacts in the health insurance industry in order to sell patient data to a Turkish doctor.

The investigation is ongoing, but it is unclear whether insurance employees actually passed on data. The Zurich public prosecutor's office has not commented on the matter. What is certain, however, is that the doctor is being investigated on suspicion of billing for fictitious tests.

The doctor has already attracted attention for irregularities in the past and lost his license to practice in five cantons. He is alleged to have employed staff without medical training.

The doctor has since changed his name and apparently lives in Dubai. He gives health tips on social media and names Swiss clinics as partners, but they deny any connection to him.

The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.