There has been a flurry of developments in recent days regarding the provision of medical services by controversial medical centers in Cyprus and Greece, following the sudden death of Giorgos Mazonakis during a plasmapheresis procedure at a clinic in Kolonaki.
The death of the popular singer opened a new chapter in the “Kompoyannitis” scandal, raising alarms in Cyprus as well regarding the existence of unscrupulous treatment centers that offer dubious therapeutic methods and promise miracles to unsuspecting patients.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Two centers in Larnaca are under scrutiny by law enforcement authorities, from one of which plasmapheresis machines were seized, as they appear to have been used without the required hospital infrastructure or the necessary specialized staff. The history of this center, as revealed by recent reports, goes back some time, as this is not the first time it has been the target of complaints from the Ministry of Health. Prior to the complaint filed the day before yesterday, similar complaints had been filed in both 2022 and 2023, though the cases did not proceed, as the Legal Service had ruled that sufficient evidence had not been secured.
In fact, according to exclusive information from AlphaNews.Live, the 2022 complaint was preceded by a scientific report from the PIS, which the Ministry of Health had requested due to alarming findings by its officials during an on-site inspection there.
Specifically, and according to well-informed sources, the Ministry of Health, prompted by a revealing report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) titled “Long COVID Patients Travel Abroad for Expensive and Experimental Blood Washing,” had conducted an inspection of the center in question in 2022, uncovering alarming findings, which it reported to the PIS, requesting a scientific opinion. Among these findings was the presence of a plasma removal machine, which, although licensed for use, was not approved for patients with long COVID.
The PIS reviewed the data and responded on July 27, 2022, with a letter to the Ministry of Health stating, among other things, that based on a review of the international scientific literature prescribing dual antiplatelet therapy or LDL plasmapheresis for the treatment of Long COVID is not an established medical practice. In fact, regarding this specific device, the PIS clarified that it must be used in a hospital setting by specialized personnel (e.g., nephrology clinics). Regarding intravenous therapies, the PIS emphasized in its letter that none of them are indicated for the treatment of post-COVID syndrome.
Despite interventions—both from the Ministry of Health, with two complaints (in 2022 and 2023), as well as from the PIS with its damning scientific opinion—which could potentially serve as legal evidence— nothing came of it, and the two centers continued to operate uninterrupted until today, when the entire issue has resurfaced following the shocking death of Mazonakis in Greece.
They were advertised everywhere
Questions also arise, however, from the fact that the medical treatments provided by the center—from which plasmapheresis machines were confiscated—had been advertised since 2023, consistently promoting its services on social media with a plethora of videos and photos.
We present one of the promotional videos that had been posted online, in which patients can be seen undergoing plasmapheresis and blood-letting treatments.
The promotional posts, however, were not limited to plasmapheresis but also included a variety of other alternative therapies, such as ozone therapy, oxygen therapy, through which the center itself promised to treat symptoms of Long COVID and other conditions.
In fact, there are several videos in which patients shared their personal experiences with the treatment they received there and the improvement they reportedly experienced.
The supplier of the plasmapheresis machines responds
We contacted the supplier of the plasma exchange machines, whose list of partners includes both Dr. Giorgos Mazonakis’s clinic in Kolonaki and the center under investigation in Larnaca.
The company in question is Ayus Medical Devices AG, headquartered in Switzerland, whose CEO, Domenico Fontana, in response to our request for comment regarding the recent events in Athens, stated: “We have been informed of the death of a patient in Athens on September 9, 2026, and we express our deepest condolences for this loss. Our thoughts are with the patient’s family and loved ones. The circumstances of the incident are the subject of an investigation being conducted by the Greek authorities. While the investigation is ongoing, we will not make any further comments regarding this specific case, nor will we speculate on the causes or liability, and we are cooperating fully with the authorities. Patient safety remains our top priority, and we are reviewing the available information.”
We followed up by asking Mr. Fontana about the company’s policyregarding the process followed when selling these machines and how the company ensures they end up in appropriate treatment centers and in the hands of suitably qualified personnel. So far, we have not received a response to our second question.
SEE ALSO: Mapping of medical centers has begun; “it won’t be long before it yields results” | AlphaNews
