Dr.'Golden Hands' caught red-handed

  • 2004-04-01
  • By Aaron Eglitis
RIGA - Aris Auders the disgraced former health care minister and prominent surgeon was indicted last week by the General Prosecutor's Office for allegedly overcharging patients as much as 40,000 lats (60,000 euros) for various operations, usually involving the spinal cord.

Auders has denied the allegations, and in order to avoid seizure should he be found guilty he has transferred his real estate assets to his wife's name.
Prosecutors said it was too early to tell weather the tactic of transferring assets would be successful.
Before becoming health minister in November 2002, Auders was a surgeon at the Trauma and Orthopedic Hospital where he also had a private practice. At the hospital he had allegedly charged patients for "consultation" fees despite a doctor's referral eliminating the cost of an operation.
According to the prosecutor's office, Auders went so far as to rely on scare tactics to get money from patients. He told patients that the state's health insurance fund was bankrupt, and they would have to wait for an operation, which, he explained, could harm the patient's health.
Auders, commonly referred to in Latvia as "Golden Hands" for his unparalleled skills in the operating room, has been charged with 77 counts for cheating his patients, the state and several insurance companies, Dzintra Subrovska, head of the prosecutor's office press center, said.
In addition to allegedly bilking patients, Auders has also been accused of defrauding municipalities in Riga and Sigulda, the state's revenue service and three different insurance companies.
Auders' alleged corruption was not typical of the medical field since most people in Latvia do not possess the necessary resources to pay the size of bribes the surgeon demanded, analysts said.
"The case of Auders is not a typical one, and can only be done by someone in a prestigious position," Valts Kalnins, an anticorruption researcher, said. "If it's proved in court, this will not be a sign of systemic corruption in the health care sector."
However, more common smaller levels of bribery have existed for some time, a legacy of the Soviet Union.
"The bribery of doctors was something common during the Soviet period," Kalnins said.
The recent arrest and indictment of "golden hands" is the result of an investigation by the anticorruption bureau and the prosecutor's office, which began after the initial allegations of over charging came public in January of last year.
Auders came under fire last year as health minister when it was revealed that he had demanded a 565 lat fee from patient Maija Vilcina for a spinal operation covered by the state's health insurance program. Auders claimed at the time the fee was only for consultation and not the actual operation.
Auders, who came to power as a member of the New Era party on a platform of anticorruption, was forced to resign shortly after the scandal became public.
During the investigation the anticorruption bureau questioned over 300 people, something the prosecution's office repeated before the charges were filed.
If convicted, the former health minister could face up to three years in prison and fines of 60 minimum months wages, or 4,500 lats.
A trial date has not been set.