Some 80,000 claims for compensation of healthcare providers corresponding to €10 million were rejected by the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) which operates Gesy, according to data.

In addition, fines were imposed on 30 healthcare providers ranging from €100 to €30,000. The contracts of one staff member and six specialist doctors, a pharmacist, a clinical laboratory, a psychologist, and a dentist were terminated, while following the revocation of the operating licence by the health ministry, a pharmacy, two nursing homes and 14 clinical laboratories were thrown out of Gesy, MPs heard on Thursday.

The contract of one staff member and five specialist doctors, two nurses and a private hospital were suspended while investigations are underway, while in nine cases Gesy service providers were reported to police for various suspected criminal infractions.

The figures were presented by HIO officials on Thursday during the House health committee session to discuss the Gesy budget.

HIO officials were defending their actions after Disy MP Efthymios Diplaros said the organisation needed to have better control over its budget. Diplaros emphasised that the HIO’s budget, amounting to €1.6 billion, comprises taxpayer contributions, employers’ contributions, and the state’s contribution.

According to what was presented to MPs regarding audits carried out in 2023, more than 300 cases of alleged abuse of the system have been investigated.

In addition, The HIO carried out 500 inspections of specialist doctors in relation to repeated referrals for MRIs in 2023 resulting in 21 investigations.

Overall, MPs were told that according to actuarial studies Gesy remains financially sustainable as it stands through to the first three months of 2031 which is said to be consistent with best practices and to maintain a reserve whose amount covers more than two months of payments.