Larnaca police form investigative team over plasmapheresis machines at medical centre

Larnaca’s Criminal Investigation Department (TAE) has formed an investigative team to look into the case of a medical centre where plasmapheresis machines were found. The move follows a letter from the Medical Services Department dated 14 September, which police received on Tuesday.

The letter concerned two medical centres in Larnaca where, according to the department, plasmapheresis machines might have been in operation. The equipment was found at one of them during an inspection. The head of the Larnaca TAE, Georgios Charalambous, confirmed to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that the letter had been received, an initial meeting had been held and that the investigative team would begin looking into the circumstances in the coming days.

The investigation will be carried out jointly with the Medical Services Department. It will also take into account material from a previous inspection of the same medical centre in 2023.

The latest development was triggered by a complaint from the Ministry of Health — the third against this centre, following complaints filed in 2022 and 2023. The centre has been operating without a Ministry of Health licence since 2022. The ministry explains that it is authorised to close an establishment only when it has licensed it, while the issue of unlicensed centres is dealt with through criminal proceedings — and they continue to operate throughout.

Earlier, cardiothoracic surgeon Marinos Sotiriou reported that a patient developed severe thrombosis after undergoing plasmapheresis at an unlicensed centre in Larnaca and was admitted to intensive care. In the previous case, the Law Office considered the evidence insufficient to bring charges.

Following the repeated complaints, the Ministry of Health ordered the compilation of a register of all premises on the island where invasive medical procedures are carried out.