Patients die as Sicilian mafia buys into the hospital service | Special report... - The Diigo Meta page

• 01 Jan 07
  

  Anthony Pantekoek

  A wave of deaths in Sicilian hospitals has highlighted a crisis in the island's health service, linked by a senior politician to the draining of public funds by the mafia.

  articles news health crime

  • After drug trafficking, the control of public and private contracting is the second most lucrative activity for organised crime in Italy, amounting to a turnover of about €17.5bn (£11.8bn), of which the Sicilian mafia is responsible for €6.5bn.
  • "Cosa Nostra is investing heavily in private health centres in Sicily which are subsidised by the state," said Francesco Forgione, the head of Italy's parliamentary anti-mafia commission.
  • In Sicily, the mafia is not only investing in private clinics but is also involved in steering public health contracts towards friendly companies, said Mr Forgione. "During the hunt for mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano it was even discovered that some Palermo neighbourhood bosses were themselves doctors or lawyers, part of a new mafia bourgeoisie."
  • A wave of deaths in Sicilian hospitals has highlighted a crisis in the island's health service, linked by a senior politician to the draining of public funds by the mafia.

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