A cleaner at the Shefqet Ndroqi COVID-19 hospital has been arrested for fraud after it’s alleged she took more than 800,000 ALL (EUR 6500) from the family of a patient while pretending to be a nurse.
The scandal was unearthed by the investigative TV show “STOP”. It’s alleged the woman posed as a nurse to the relatives of a patient being treated for COVID-19.
A 55-year-old woman was hospitalised at the end of November with COVID-19 after first being treated at home. Upon arriving at the hospital, the daughter of the patient described how busy it was and that staff looked overwhelmed. They were approached by the accused who told them that she would take care of their mother but that payment was required to secure the attention of a doctor and nurse.
She was told she had to pay varying amounts for doctors, nurses, and cleaning each day. The accused would ask for money as frequently as when doctors shifts changed, claiming that the new doctor wouldn’t treat her mother without payment. She said she even had to leave work at times to go and pay the accused.
In addition to this, she said she had to take food, water, insulin, medicine, and diapers at the request of her mother who said the hospital did not provide these.
As the patients’ condition deteriorated, the accused would send pictures and videos as well as updates. In messages, she said that the doctors had asked for more money and that the daughter should pay.
In one message, published by STOP, the accused tells the daughter that if the price is too high, she is welcome to find someone else cheaper to take care of her mother.
Sadly, the patient died on 25 December.
Following the publication of the investigation, and calls from the Ministry to dismiss the cleaner, police have now placed her under arrest.
Prime Minister Edi Rama denied a phenomenon of bribery in Albanian hospitals. He said doctors and nurses are heroes and those that ask for money are a minority.
