ATHENS – In yet another instance of people in Greece posing as doctors of one sort or another, the Panhellenic Association of Physiotherapists (PSF) said fake doctors in their profession are operating and that the spread of COVID-19 on the island of Poros began with one practicing there.

In an announcement the PSF said “the specific woman is not a physiotherapist and she was operating an illegal physiotherapy workshop on Poros,” and called for the government to stop fake doctors.

“This fact, in combination with the recent arrest of a pseudo-doctor, highlights in all its magnitude the criminal indifference of the state which – as it turned out – can be fatal,” it said.

In June,  a Greek man was arrested in Athens, accused of deceiving dozens of people who had serious or incurable medical conditions by administering bogus cures that allegedly resulted in three deaths, police said.

He was allegedly involved in at least 45 cases of deception, posing as a medical specialist with various false claims that included being an air force medic, a U.S.-trained pediatric oncologist, and an executive member of the International Red Cross, police said. 

Many of his treatments involved the use of cannabis-based substances, handed out of unwitting patients.

Three people who died, allegedly due to failure of receiving proper treatment, were aged 14, 16, and 76 — their combined medical bills totaling 58,000 euros. The suspect, who has no genuine medical qualifications, was facing charges of manslaughter, fraud, and the production and use of counterfeit documents, and trafficking banned substances as well.