Abu Dhabi has closed four health centres and is to refer all of their staff to public prosecutors to investigate claims they received payments for issuing fake sick notes.
The capital's Department of Health claimed certificates were issued via WhatsApp to people who never attended the facilities for an examination, in return for Dh100 ($27) for each day of sick leave approved.
Fraudulent documentation was then included in the patients’ medical records, complete with forged signatures of consent, according to the department.
The four health centres are alleged to have worked together to orchestrate the plot.
“Applicants were asked to provide personal identification, along with basic health details such as height and weight, after which they were given the facility’s bank account number to transfer Dh100 per sick leave day, the Department of Health said.
“The four facilities were found to be operating in co-ordination, using designated intermediaries to manage and distribute the issuance of these sick leaves across their operations.”
The Department of Health said it took the decision to shut down the four centres – which were not named – “due to the criminal and disciplinary nature of their actions”.
Healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi must strictly comply with the regulations and standards issued by the department. This safeguards public health and maintain the highest levels of service quality, transparency, accountability, and trust in the healthcare system, said the Department of Health.