A public prosecutor investigates at least 47 fake vaccination certificates issued at a public hospital in Karditsa, northern Greece. An employee was falsely certifying vaccinations against Covid-19 to residents of the broader area. The bogus certificates were issued at the Palamas Hospital in the month of August.
The scandal was revealed when the printed vaccination certificates issued electronically did not have a doctor’s signature and an official seal, local media reported.
The fake certificates were issued by an administrative employee who used to go to the hospital off the times she worked shift. The woman had managed to gain access to the electronic registration system after she obtained the necessary codes by a doctor.and would register citizens’ names as vaccinated.
The employee would illegally register as “vaccinated” the name of citizens who had never stepped foot at the vaccination center of the hospitl, local newspaper altithia noted in its exclusive report on Saturday.
When the hospital started investigation, initially 13 fake registrations were found; they soon grew to 35 and reached 47 on Saturday. As the investigation continues … the sky is the limit.
It is claimed that the 47 cases were registered only in August and the scandal is limited to the last two months as the involved employee was temporary staff to cover summer vacations of permanent personnel.
A common element among the majority of the fake vaccinated citizens is that they are permanent residents of northern Greece with many of them from the place of origin of the employee. Among them are reportedly also employee’s relatives, something that led to the revelation of her actions.
Those citizens would make an appointment for vaccination apparently in consultation with the employee who would falsely register that the vaccinations took place.
A crucial question is: what happened to the surplus vaccines due to the fake certificates, the newspaper asked.
The hospital management removed the employee from her position and informed the state authorities that ordered an internal investigation to find out the extend of the scandal, whether the certificates were in exchange for money and whether other persons were involved.
An internal investigation was not enough for the Health Minister who referred the case to a public prosecutor. Minister Thanos Plevris noted on a Twitter post that “such incidents will not be tolerated.”
Speaking to Skai TV on Sunday morning, Plevris said that a “new legislation regarding bogus vaccinations is underway,” however, he did not elaborate.
The director of the vaccination center in Karditsa told media that they double check some 45,000 registered vaccinations.
On Sunday, media reported that the woman has admitted the criminal act.
No details so far about those who obtained these certificates. Note that the government has ordered compulsory vaccinations to workers at state health facilities, to personnel at nursing homes. It has so far suspended jobs to 7,000 health workers. Authorities also demands rapid tests twice per week by unvaccinated workers at the public and private sector and it forbids access to close entertainment spaces to unvaccinated citizens.