Several cardiologists at the Amphia hospital in Breda have been paid more than the maximum allowed for advising suppliers of medical devices. Moreover, these cardiologists have not reported all additional income to the hospital board or declared it in the transparency register, even though they have to. That will be revealed on Friday research by EY on behalf of the hospital, in response to previous coverage by NOS and News hour to the code of conduct for medical devices.
Read also: Cardiologists of the Zwolse Isala hospital earned extra money with real estate that they rented out to their own department
This code of conduct has been drawn up to prevent doctors from being influenced or bribed. It has been agreed with the Ministry of Health and the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate that medical specialists may be paid a maximum of 187 euros per hour. According to NOS and News hour received Amphia cardiologists in three years 1.8 million euros without the management being aware of it. The hospital does not want to elaborate on the amounts that emerge from the new investigation to NOS.
Measures
It would concern less than five of the sixteen cardiologists. The hospital board reports that although some cardiologists acted contrary to the rules, the investigation did not reveal “that there was any influence on the purchasing process”. The hospital board of Amphia says in a statement that it will take “appropriate measures” to prevent this in the future. The overpayments will also be corrected.
From the research of NOS and News hour in 2022 it turned out that cardiologists in several hospitals did not state their additional income correctly. Later that year, cardiologists were discredited again. Then reported NRC that five cardiologists at the Isala hospital in Zwolle are suspected of corruption in a case about payments from a medical manufacturer.