Doctors Arrested in Greece After Music Star Dies During Blood Treatment

Two doctors in Greece were arrested after a famous music star died during a medical treatment at a private clinic. Giorgos Mazonakis, 54, was one of Greece's most well-known pop singers. He died on September 9 from a sudden heart attack while receiving a procedure called plasma exchange. His death has raised serious questions about whether private clinics in Greece should be allowed to perform this kind of treatment.

Plasma exchange is a process that cleans a person's blood by removing harmful substances from it. It was first developed to help people with diseases like multiple sclerosis. In recent years, however, more people have been using it as an anti-aging treatment, hoping it will help them live longer and feel younger. Several health officials say the procedure is complex and can be risky, and that it should only be done in a hospital with a full medical team present.

Greece's Health Minister, Adonis Georgiadis, said the laws around anti-aging clinics in Greece are unclear. He called it a 'grey area' and promised to take a closer look at the rules. 'Currently there is no framework,' he said. He also added that medicine in this field has grown so fast that existing laws have not kept up. This means clinics may have been operating without clear legal guidelines.

The minister confirmed that the clinic where Mazonakis died was breaking the law. 'It is absolutely certain that the activity was illegal,' Georgiadis told state television. He explained that plasma exchange is not allowed outside of a hospital setting. Even so, the clinic held a license for a general pathology practice, not for performing plasma exchange treatments.

The two doctors who ran the clinic are a couple. They were first questioned and released on September 9, the same day Mazonakis died. However, police found problems with their statements, and the doctors were arrested the following day. The doctors say they are not responsible for the star's death and claim he lost consciousness before the treatment even started. Police, however, believe the treatment had already begun when Mazonakis collapsed.

Mazonakis had a long and celebrated music career in Greece. He had dozens of hit songs and several platinum albums over more than 30 years in the music industry. He was supposed to perform a special career-retrospective concert in Athens on September 20, just 11 days after he died. Fans across Greece mourned his sudden passing. The case has now pushed Greek health officials to promise reforms to better regulate private medical clinics in the country.