Jerusalem police are investigating reports that doctors are involved in a medical furlough-for-profit scheme. Police earlier in the week arrested a couple, physicians employed in a Bet Shemesh clinic. Also taken into custody is the clinic’s manager.

Police were alerted following a number of telephone calls citing there are too many soldiers in the area of the clinic for no apparent reason. Police sent two undercover agents disguised as IDF soldiers, who were instructed to pay NIS 160, receiving “Gimmelim”, medical furlough slips from the doctors.

A list of soldiers who were sold “Gimmelim” was found in the medical clinic, and it has been given to military police. Jerusalem fraud unit investigators believe other physicians are involved and the investigation is continuing.

Yehuda Shoshan, the attorney for the suspects in custody, maintains they did nothing wrong, adding the clinic is being run in accordance to the mandate given by the IDF. The doctors insist they did nothing wrong or illegal, insisting solders were given “Gimmelim” because they were ill and deserved them, not for any other reason.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)