“We are talking about a scope of around 3% to 5% fraud in the National Health System, specifically in the National Health Service, which could represent, at the limit, during this period, about 800 million euros,” said Ana Paula Martins at the press conference presenting the conclusions of Wednesday’s Council of Ministers.
“This Commission for Combating Fraud in the National Health Service is coordinated by the Polícia Judiciária, it is a dedicated unit that includes elements from the Health Activities General Inspectorate, the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health, the Central Administration of the Health System, and the National Institute of Pharmacy and Medicine (Infarmed),” added the official.
The CCFSNS will operate in collaboration with the Polícia Judiciária and the Attorney General’s Office, among other entities, and is one of the measures included in the Government’s Program.
The government justifies the creation of the body with the need to “ensure that public funds are not used improperly, to the detriment of all citizens.”
In 2012, a similar unit was created to detect suspected fraud cases in the NHS. At that time, the Ministry of Health was overseen by Paulo Macedo.
The Information Exploration Unit (UEI) made it possible to identify and report 80 suspected cases to the competent authorities in less than a year, representing more than 82.5 million euros.
These cases were added to those “formally reported,” reaching a value that, according to Paulo Macedo’s calculations revealed in April 2013 during a parliamentary hearing, exceeded one hundred million euros.
