The action of the former leadership of the Motol University Hospital was described by Czech Minister of Health Vlastimil Válek as blackmail and mafia practices. According to him, the controls of the Ministry could not detect extensive corruption. He stressed that health care would not be affected and projects that have been properly competed. He said this on Friday at a press conference, says TASR newsletter in Prague.
“I would like to assure all citizens, medical staff and employees of the FN Motol and 2. The Faculty of Medicine of Charles University that the case of blackmail and mafia practices of Director (Miloslava) Ludvík, who was the director of this hospital for 25 years and even a minister in one of the previous governments, has absolutely nothing to do with patient care, quality or availability. minister.
He recalled that Ludvík dismissed Ludvík within hours of the police intervention and commissioned the leadership to date Lucia Valentová-Bartáková, whose task is to set up internal control systems in the hospital. “Although it is quite clear to me that even the best control system, if the director behaves like a mafioso and a blackmail after all projects have been properly competed, it does not reveal it,” Válek said, adding that he coordinates the procedure with finance, industry and the European Commission.
The payment of funds from the national renewal plan has been suspended
He added that, due to preliminary caution and protection of the EU and Czech financial interests, they suspended further payment of funds from the national renewal plan that they were supposed to go to the FN Motol. However, the projects continue to be at risk of the planned completion date.
The Minister also stressed that the case was not associated with healthcare professionals or academics who work in the hospital because they did not know anything.
After Monday’s intervention in the University Hospital, the police accused 17 people, including its former director and his first deputy, who, according to her, systematically abused processes in awarding hospital public contracts. At the same time, they participated in damaging the EU’s financial interests, subsidy fraud, bribery or money laundering. The main suspect threatens 12 years behind bars.
