Anca Dumitrovici Ababneh, former head of the oncology department at Suceava County Emergency Hospital, was given a suspended prison sentence for accepting bribes from 280 patients.
The doctor was arrested on January 20, when prosecutors raided the Oncology Department of the Suceava County Hospital. He was convicted on August 29. Anti-corruption prosecutors confirmed that in a single day, he had accepted bribes from 29 cancer patients.
The indictment alleges that in less than a month, she accepted bribes 280 times from different patients. Between April 2022 and January 19, 2023, the doctor repeatedly asked 64 patients to pay extra money or give her items such as honey, cheese, coffee, chocolate. The total bribe amounted to about $5,400. Only then did the patients receive treatments that were supposed to be free. Anca Ababneh Dumitrovici admitted to all charges.
The anti-corruption task force collected audio and video recordings from the doctor’s office to document the negative behavior. They also received many complaints from patients. One of the complaints was filed by the family of a military patient who died after Dr. Ababneh failed to prescribe medication for months.
However, Anca Ababneh Dumitrovici received only a suspended sentence of two years and six months. The court banned her from practicing medicine in the public health care system for five years.
Romania is one of the countries with the highest rate of bribery in the health sector. Photo: Open Accessb Government
Romania is one of the countries with the highest levels of bribery in the health sector, according to data from the European Commission’s official monitoring body. It also has the lowest life expectancy on the continent. Experts say patients are often asked for money in exchange for medical services they should receive for free.
Frontier also analyzed this situation. The first reason why patients have the habit of bribing doctors is the desire to receive better care, or at least not be denied treatment. Next, they want to express gratitude to doctors according to Islamic concepts.
According to a Eurostat survey published by the European Commission, one in five patients admitted to giving cash or expensive gifts to doctors when they sought medical care at a public health facility. In waiting rooms and even in front of hospitals, patients and their families continue to exchange information about how much they will pay for their care. 18% of Romanians admitted to sending envelopes to clinics or stuffing them directly into doctors’ pockets.