Pills are seen on the counter of a pharmacy in Paris. Investigators have uncovered a major fraud network in the French health system under which millions of euros' worth of medicines have been sent every year to countries in southeast Asia, a newspaper has reported.5-Oct-2006
AFP
Investigators have uncovered a major fraud network in the French health system under which millions of euros' worth of medicines have been sent every year to countries in southeast Asia, a newspaper has reported.
According to Le Parisien on Thursday, Vietnam and Cambodia were the main destinations for the contraband drugs -- which were prescribed by French doctors and paid for by the national health insurance fund -- but countries in north Africa and eastern Europe were also recipients.
According to the newspaper, the fraud amounts to 20 million euros (25 million dollars) for this year alone.
Individuals invented symptoms and acquired prescriptions from doctors who were either hoodwinked or complicit. They were then reimbursed for the cost of the drugs by the insurance system.
The medicines -- including ulcer treatments, antibiotics and tranquillisers -- were sent by courier or post to countries where they undercut the going price by up to 50 percent.
According to the newspaper, the investigation is nearing its conclusion and several people -- including doctors -- could face criminal charges.
According to Le Parisien on Thursday, Vietnam and Cambodia were the main destinations for the contraband drugs -- which were prescribed by French doctors and paid for by the national health insurance fund -- but countries in north Africa and eastern Europe were also recipients.
According to the newspaper, the fraud amounts to 20 million euros (25 million dollars) for this year alone.
Individuals invented symptoms and acquired prescriptions from doctors who were either hoodwinked or complicit. They were then reimbursed for the cost of the drugs by the insurance system.
The medicines -- including ulcer treatments, antibiotics and tranquillisers -- were sent by courier or post to countries where they undercut the going price by up to 50 percent.
According to the newspaper, the investigation is nearing its conclusion and several people -- including doctors -- could face criminal charges.
1 comment:
It would still be nice for Cambodia to be the recipient of the contraband drugs from France at the prices that the poor people can afford. French drugs are of high quality, but they are still expensive in Cambodia.
The major problem for Cambodia is that there are many French-brand drugs arriving from Vietnam that turn out to be fake. Many Cambodian lives are at risk because of these fake drugs.
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