Santo Domingo.– Dr. Gabriel Ravelo, former deputy medical director of the Dr. Darío Contreras University Teaching Hospital, is among the individuals detained this Friday during a new phase of the investigations related to the National Health Insurance (SeNaSa).
Ravelo’s arrest took place amidst simultaneous raids carried out from the early hours by prosecutors from the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA) in different parts of the country, as part of the so-called SeNaSa 2.0 case.
Ravelo was sworn in as deputy director of the Darío Contreras Hospital on October 24, 2023, and remained in that position until a few months ago, when he submitted his resignation, according to information linked to the case.
You can read: Raids for the SeNaSa 2.0 case were carried out in the DN, Santo Domingo, Santiago, Cotuí and La Vega
An official bulletin published by the Darío Contreras Hospital in October 2023 confirms that Ravelo served as the medical deputy director of the institution. The document also notes that he is a specialist in Orthopedics and Traumatology, with training in spine surgery and a master’s degree in Health Management.
Investigation into alleged billing
The arrest is part of a series of operations involving mainly health professionals. Preliminary information indicates that at least 29 people have been arrested, although the Public Prosecutor’s Office has not yet officially confirmed the final figure.
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Lawyer Jorge Contreras, representative of seven detained orthopedic surgeons, explained that his clients are being investigated for the alleged issuance of invoices corresponding to medical services that, according to the investigation, were not performed.
In Ravelo’s particular case, local media report that his arrest was confirmed by his lawyer, who noted that the doctor had previously been questioned on several occasions by the Attorney General’s Office. One of the lines of investigation is reportedly related to alleged irregularities in billing submitted to SeNaSa.
The head of PEPCA, Mirna Ortiz, confirmed the execution of the raids and the arrest of several doctors, but the authorities have not yet publicly detailed the specific charges against each of the newly investigated individuals.
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The operations correspond to a new stage of the inquiries into alleged irregularities at SeNaSa, an investigation that remains open and on which the Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced it will offer further details.
