Medical workers in Albania are charged with abusing their posts by sending cancer patients elsewhere

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Two doctors and five other medical workers in Albania have been charged with abusing their posts by sending cancer patients for costly treatment elsewhere instead of providing free public care. Prosecutors allege that the workers with the public Oncology Hospital in the capital, Tirana, directed patients to private medical clinics where they had to pay. If found guilty, the workers face up to seven years in prison. Albania’s public health system has seen significant progress, but corruption remains rampant. The private system often is unaffordable for people in one of Europe’s poorest countries.