Μake us preferred on Google More than 300 disciplinary investigations of doctors are conducted each year by the Athens Medical Association, according to data examined by To Vima, while the association receives about 250 complaints during the same period.
The cases involve allegations of illegal actions, questionable alternative treatments, negligence and inappropriate medical decisions. Among the practices attracting scrutiny are treatments marketed as “rejuvenation,” “blood cleansing” and “quantum medicine,” some of which, according to the investigation, may pose significant risks to patients and public health.
The issue has gained renewed attention following the death of popular Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis during a plasma exchange procedure at a private medical practice in Athens.
Alternative treatments under scrutiny
The investigation found cases involving doctors with questionable educational backgrounds who promote treatments claiming to offer major health benefits, including reversing serious illnesses or reducing biological age through changes to the blood, laser treatments, testosterone and other methods.
There are also cases involving doctors who practice outside their usual medical fields. Oncologists, for example, have been performing Botox procedures, while ophthalmologists are seeking permission to carry out lucrative cosmetic procedures involving the eyes of older patients.
The cases raise a broader question over whether sufficient safeguards are in place to protect patients and whether the state is conducting the necessary checks.
One case concerns a private practitioner in the Thrace region who offered alternative treatments while presenting the effectiveness of his methods as having received “scientific validation” from a medical organization that he had himself established.
In tourist destinations including Mykonos and Santorini, at least 20 private practitioners and companies have also emerged offering intravenous treatments in private settings marketed as “antitoxic renewal,” immune-system enhancement or a way to eliminate the effects of excessive drinking or toxic substance use from the previous night.
According to the investigation, the clientele of some of these “invisible clinics,” which offer rejuvenation treatments and cosmetic procedures while emphasizing privacy and confidentiality, appears to be growing significantly.
Questions over state oversight
Documents from 2021 and 2023 issued by the Hellenic Medical Association, Greece’s national medical association, state that alternative treatments are not recognized as medical practice in Greece and cannot be considered medical specialties.
The issue follows at least 10 major cases involving individuals accused of falsely presenting themselves as doctors.
One such case involved Nikolaos “Kontos,” who persuaded dozens of patients to stop conventional treatments. He was convicted of seven homicides and six attempted homicides.
Another involved a 65-year-old man from Thessaloniki who presented himself as a neurologist and persuaded patients to abandon pharmaceutical treatments in favor of therapies involving “stem cells.” He reportedly charged €10,000 to €30,000 per injection. Police identified 15 victims, five of whom had died.
The Mazonakis case
The investigation into questionable medical practices has also brought renewed scrutiny to the case of Giorgos Mazonakis, who died last Wednesday at a medical practice on Karneadou Street in Athens’ Kolonaki neighborhood during a plasma exchange procedure.
According to records from police investigations and disciplinary and oversight bodies of medical associations examined by To Vima, the practice had acquired a plasma exchange machine from a Swiss company based in Basel and was using it for purported “rejuvenation” purposes.
The investigation found that plasma exchange is used for serious illnesses in hospitals and clinics. According to the machine’s operating protocol and documents from its manufacturer, patients should undergo comprehensive medical examinations before the procedure because plasma exchange can have significant side effects.
These can include a drop in blood pressure, fainting caused by changes in blood volume and other complications. Arrhythmias can also occur because of the removal of calcium from the blood or changes in potassium and other electrolytes.
An earlier scientific record cited in the investigation reported eight deaths in 15,658 plasma exchange sessions, or about 0.05%, although all required safety standards had been followed in those cases.
In the Kolonaki practice, the investigation found indications that there was no medical or nursing staff available to intervene in the event of a complication.
Mazonakis was reportedly already in poor condition when he arrived at the practice, possibly following a fainting episode several days earlier at a venue in northern Athens.
According to information that emerged during the investigation, the two doctors accused in the case allegedly failed to disclose that the singer had already undergone 42 minutes of the plasma exchange procedure. They initially claimed that he had suffered a cardiac episode when the procedure was just beginning.
Investigators also found indications that an attempt had been made to delete information concerning the exact time of the singer’s appointment.
Another device found at the practice was a laser therapy machine intended for intravenous invasive phototherapy and irradiation of the blood, promoted for “boosting the organism and improving metabolism.” The method is also disputed internationally.
The two doctors accused in the Mazonakis case had reportedly given interviews or appeared at conferences where they presented these controversial medical methods, including claims that they could reduce patients’ biological age by as much as eight years.
According to the investigation, no intervention or inspection by the relevant state authorities had taken place over these practices. The doctors had also presented educational qualifications from universities in Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, which do not appear to have been verified.
Warnings over alternative medicine
The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned about the risks associated with rejuvenation and anti-aging treatments of this kind.
In a detailed legal opinion issued by the Hellenic Medical Association’s legal services on July 18, 2023, the association stated that non-conventional treatment proposals are not recognized as medical practice in Greece, are not part of primary health care and cannot be considered medical specialties.
The opinion also stated that the effectiveness of treatments such as “bioresonance” has not been scientifically established or recognized as a medical treatment, and that the Panhellenic Medical Association does not recognize alternative treatment methods as medical practices.
The investigation identified at least 20 controversial methods offered by doctors that patients should approach with caution. They include “bioresonance,” “homeopathy for cancer,” Ayurveda, the use of cannabinoids as “cancer treatments,” the so-called “Hippocrates soup,” and treatments involving stem cells and peptides.
What patients should check
Health law specialist Evangelos Katsikis told To Vima that doctors cannot be expected to know everything about medicine, which is why medical specialties and areas of specialization exist.
He advised patients to check a doctor’s identity and specialty, determine whether a particular procedure falls within that doctor’s area of expertise and verify that it is being performed in a legally licensed facility.
He urged particular caution over treatments marketed as ways to “improve life” or combat aging.
“These are not independent medical specialties,” Katsikis said. “They often combine procedures from different specialties and require a corresponding multidisciplinary team.”
“One doctor should not do everything,” he said, arguing that these rules are not simply bureaucratic requirements but international safety safeguards designed to protect public health, patients and consumers of health services.
