Μake us preferred on Google New reports have come to light regarding the private clinic in eastern Thessaloniki which was ordered shut after an inspection by Greece’s National Transparency Authority.
The inspection, which followed a complaint, also identified serious staffing shortages and problems with patient care. Authorities are examining allegations concerning the prescription and administration of expensive cancer drugs, including claims that some medications were prescribed to patients who did not need them.
The case has prompted a prosecutorial investigation into the operation of the clinic and the inspections previously carried out there.
Unauthorized oncology department
According to the findings reported so far, the clinic had been operating a hidden oncology department without the necessary authorization. Chemotherapy treatments were being carried out without a license and without an intensive care unit.
The unauthorized oncology department was reportedly being run by a pulmonologist.
Authorities are also examining how cancer medications were prescribed and administered, including the documentation submitted to Greece’s National Organization for Health Care Services Provision (EOPYY) for reimbursement.
A broader investigation has been ordered to determine whether there were any failures or other responsibilities concerning the inspections conducted at the clinic and whether the required procedures were followed.
The authorities have revoked the clinic’s operating license, and the facility was sealed on Tuesday, September 29.
The clinic has been given 15 days to evacuate because mainly elderly and seriously ill patients were still being treated there. Relatives arrived at the facility as it was being sealed, expressing concern about what would happen to their family members, many of whom could not be moved immediately.
Relatives describe severe conditions
The case has also brought a series of allegations from patients’ relatives and former employees, with complaints dating back to 2025.
Initial inspections focused on understaffing and staff qualifications. More recently, a new complaint concerning the unauthorized oncology department led authorities to examine the facility more closely.
Relatives who spoke to Greek television programs described what they said were extremely poor conditions, including insufficient staff, inadequate care and unsafe food.
One relative alleged that his mother had been beaten, denied food and had her cellphone and personal belongings taken away.
“I had a very bad experience. My mother was there. Their behavior was very bad. They beat her, they did not give her food. They took her cellphone, her personal belongings,” the relative said.
He said he regularly visited his mother and found her without food and unwashed. He also said he eventually noticed marks on her body that he believed were from beatings.
The allegations have not been established as facts and are subject to investigation by the competent authorities.
Other relatives have made similar complaints, including on social media, where criticism of the clinic had reportedly become increasingly frequent.
Claims of cockroaches and spoiled food
Relatives also described problems with the food and hygiene at the clinic.
Some state that food served to patients was spoiled, while other complaints referred to cockroaches and poor conditions in the clinic’s facilities.
Relatives characterized conditions in several rooms as extremely poor.
One family member told Live News that the deficiencies were unprecedented and that food served to patients was dangerous because much of it was spoiled.
The allegations concerning food, hygiene and patient treatment are being examined as part of the broader investigation.
One family was asked for €12,000
One complainant said he was asked to pay €12,000 for an entire year for three or four treatment sessions.
According to his account, the amount covered the doctor’s fee, medication and the patient’s bed.
“He asked me for €12,000 for the whole year — for three or four sessions,” the complainant said, confirming that the treatment concerned a cancer patient.
The allegation is now among the material being examined by the authorities.
Relatives report problems with care
Another former patient’s son said there were so few staff members that he often had to feed his mother himself.
“You can imagine that most of the time I was the one feeding my mother,” he said.
He also said that mistakes were made in administering her medication, resulting, he claimed, in her blood sugar not being properly controlled.
Another relative said he had taken his mother to the clinic for physical therapy and collected her 20 days later in very serious condition.
According to his account, he was told: “Your mother is not doing well. You should take her to a hospital.”
He said his mother was in a coma and that a medical report attributed her condition to dehydration.
Online complaints have also described serious problems.
One person called the facility a “clinic executioner,” alleging that a relative with mobility problems was admitted and later developed respiratory and urinary tract infections and fought for his life.
Another complainant said her relative was poorly cared for during visits and was found “dirty with vomit,” concluding that trusting the clinic had been “a big mistake.”
The accounts are allegations by patients’ relatives and require investigation by the competent authorities.
Owner previously rejected allegations
The current allegations contrast with statements made by the clinic’s owner on Live News in 2024, when he rejected earlier complaints and described them as exaggerated.
“Come and see them and you will understand that the clinic is better than your home. Come and see the care we provide,” he said at the time.
He described the clinics as exceptionally well maintained and said the food was provided by a catering company and was carefully prepared.
“The food is catering. Carefully prepared. Come and inspect it. I don’t know why the complaints are being made,” he said.
The owner also said the facilities had permanent maintenance staff and that any damage was repaired immediately.
He described the facility as a “five-star nursing home,” saying that one floor had the characteristics of a luxury hotel while two floors contained patient beds.
“This is how all our clinics are — clean and new,” he said.
Health minister says inspections will continue
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis told ERTnews that every complaint received by the Health Ministry is immediately forwarded to the National Transparency Authority.
“Whatever complaint we have at the Ministry of Health, we immediately send it to the National Transparency Authority. This was one of those complaints. We sent it to the National Transparency Authority, the inspection began and it led to this result,” he said.
Georgiadis said inspections were continuing across Greece.
“The inspections are continuing throughout the country without interruption and now even more so with Medwatch,” he said, adding: “Inspections will be carried out everywhere and on everyone.”
The authorities are now examining the overall operation of the clinic, the conditions in which patients were treated, staffing levels, the prescription and administration of medicines and whether the required regulatory inspections were properly conducted.
