Healthcare worker sanctioned every week on average for fraudulent billing
Belgium’s healthcare system is under renewed scrutiny after it emerged this week that a criminal investigation is under way into a home-care nurse suspected of billing millions of euro for fictitious services.
According to De Tijd, this is far from an isolated incident: roughly 40 other nurses, doctors, dentists and pharmacists have been sanctioned for fraudulent practices this year.
In the first nine months of the year, the administrative tribunals of the Medical Evaluation and Inspection Service (DGEC) issued rulings in 44 cases. In 39 of them, repayment was demanded and/or a fine imposed, equivalent to more than one sanctioned provider per week. In total, 4.8 million euro in undue payments was reclaimed and a further 4.5 million euro in fines imposed.
Range of professions
The offences span the full spectrum of healthcare professions. Some practitioners overcharged by a few thousand euros, others by several hundred thousand. In multiple files, the individuals involved had already been flagged for previous irregularities.
Serious cases have been documented on both sides of the Belgian language divide. Of the 25 Dutch-language cases adjudicated this year, 2.5 million euros were found to be unjustified claims and 2.3 million euros in fines were issued, totalling 4.8 million euros. Meanwhile, the 19 French-language cases amounted to almost 4.5 million euros.
"The point is this: society must be equipped to defend itself against theft"
When recovery procedures fail, cases are passed to the Federal Public Service Finance. According to the DGEC, 193 files involving convicted healthcare providers remain open there, with a combined value exceeding 20 million euros.
Public broadcaster VRT also points to older cases, including a doctor under investigation since 2019 for fraud amounting to nearly 2 million euros, and a dentist on the authorities’ radar since 2002, linked to more than 600,000 euros in irregular billing.
Previous action
The nurse arrested this week had already been the subject of action in 2017, when an investigation led to an official report and a substantial fine. The affair has caused considerable controversy, prompting Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke of Vooruit to address parliament on Thursday.
He said the National Institute for Sickness and Invalidity Insurance (Riziv) had acted "promptly and repeatedly - but with tools that are far too weak when confronted with this kind of gangsterism.” He asked MPs: “Do you wish to strengthen these tools or not?”
He detailed a series of measures ready to be deployed in the fight against fraud. “The point is this: society must be equipped to defend itself against theft.”
Since 2017, Riziv's supervisory body has launched three investigations into the fraudulent nurse, who has been on the Houthulst municipal council for Vlaams Belang since last year. Vandenbroucke revealed this information in a timeline that he presented to Parliament following Thursday's plenary session.
© PHOTO MATTHIAS BALK / DPA
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