Medical staff illegally issue sick leave notes for cash

Abu Dhabi - The doctor charge people Dh300 per sick note.

Three workers of a medical centre have been accused of illegally issuing sick leave notes to people, in return for money.
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court heard that the defendants - an Egyptian doctor and an Indian nurse and receptionist - were illegally issuing sick leave notes to workers who were not actually ill but wanted to take a break from work.
They were charging each person Dh300 for a sick leave note.
Official court documents stated that the Abu Dhabi Police's Anti-Corruption Department was notified about a doctor and other staff working at a medical center, who was issuing these sick notes.
The total amount of cash collected through this illegal activity was not mentioned in court.
After investigating the case, an undercover police agent contacted the doctor and tricked him into believing that he wanted a doctor's note, so he could take some days off duty.
Prosecutors said the doctor agreed to charge him Dh300, to issue the sick note.
Police officers who were monitoring the Egyptian doctor arrested him when he was handing over the stamped sick note to the undercover policeman without any medical examination, and after he paid him the cash.
Prosecutors charged the doctor, along with a nurse and a hospital receptionist who were working with him in falsifying official medical documents.
All defendants denied the charges of forging official documents and fraudulently collecting money from people. The doctor told court that his work was only based on diagnoses and treatment of patients and that he had never collected money from anyone for issuing false sick notes.
The nurse stated in court she only entered the data of the patients examined by the doctor into the electronic system and that she was never involved in the fraudulent acts.
The receptionist also denied helping the doctor deliver the sick notes to people or collecting money from them.
The trial was adjourned to April 17.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi