-Orthopaedic technician arrested by police

AS the police investigate a massive fraud at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, an orthopaedic technician who has allegedly been impersonating a surgeon at the medical institution has been taken into custody.
The man, who is said to have solicited various sums of money from members of the public for medical services for a number of years, was taken into police custody on Friday night. He carries the same first name as the surgeon.

As this newspaper reported on Saturday , it is believed that the man may not have acted alone, as other medical practitioners may be involved in this scam, which is now engaging the attention of the Public Health Ministry.
When contacted, the Public Health Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Terrence Esseboom, would say only that an investigation into the allegation would be launched after authorities there have confirmed a patient’s story.

The technician has been attached to the Orthopaedic Department at the hospital for years; he has been on the radar since 2010 for suspected fraudulent activities. However, the authorities there were unable to launch an investigation into the matter because affected patients were afraid to step forward.
It is alleged that the technician has been charging patients for services rendered while signing bogus receipts under the impression that he was the surgeon. For minor services, the technician would charge patients $3,000, however for surgeries and other major services, the figures ballooned into hundreds of thousands.

In recent days, the technician had reportedly demanded $400, 000 from a woman whose relative is required to do a corrective surgery for a fractured foot. The woman, who hails from Kwakwani, Region 10, reportedly pleaded with the technician, stating that she could afford to pay only $20, 000, but he insisted on the $400, 000, explaining that there were other practitioners who would have to be paid to get the surgery done.
Attempts on Saturday to reach the patient were futile.