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Peruvian Medical College Flags Suspected Fraud in Health Service Placements Due to Disability Claims
🇵🇪 Peru /Crime & Justice

Peruvian Medical College Flags Suspected Fraud in Health Service Placements Due to Disability Claims

From La República · (12m ago) Spanish Critical tone

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Peruvian Medical College (CMP) has raised concerns about the 2026-I Rural and Marginal Urban Health Services (Serums) process, citing an unusual increase in candidates using disability certifications to gain bonus points.
  • This bonus, which adds 15% to the final score, significantly alters the merit order for selecting paid positions in vulnerable areas, with the number of doctors declaring disability jumping from 31 in 2025-I to 155 in 2026-I.
  • The CMP suspects potential irregularities and possible "mafias" facilitating fraudulent documentation, prompting the Ministry of Health to announce an audit of the disability certificates.

The Peruvian Medical College (CMP) has sounded the alarm over what it describes as a deeply concerning and abnormal surge in doctors utilizing disability certifications to secure positions in the 2026-I Serums process. This system, designed to place health professionals in vulnerable areas of Peru, offers a 15% bonus point advantage to those with certified disabilities, a benefit that has apparently been exploited to an unprecedented degree.

It is a very alarming rise that does not correspond to a normal process

— Dr. William GuzmánDescribing the unusual increase in doctors claiming disability benefits for Serums placements.

According to CMP spokesperson Dr. William Guzmán, the numbers are staggering: the count of physicians declaring a disability leaped from 31 in the 2025-I cycle to a startling 155 in the 2026-I cycle. This represents an increase of over 400% in just one year, a jump the CMP deems inconsistent with any normal or justifiable trend. This dramatic inflation of bonus points has the potential to unfairly displace qualified candidates and undermine the integrity of the placement process for essential health services in underserved regions.

We have taken note through social media and calls (...) of offers from unscrupulous people (...) to improve their score

— Dr. William GuzmánRevealing reports of potential score manipulation and illicit offers within the Serums process.

Beyond the sheer numbers, the CMP has received troubling reports of potential corruption, with allegations of unscrupulous individuals offering to manipulate scores and facilitate the acquisition of irregular documentation. Dr. Guzmán explicitly warned of the possibility of "mafias" operating within the system, dedicated to providing fraudulent disability certificates. While the CMP stresses that its concern is not directed at individuals with genuine disabilities, it insists on the urgent need for stricter controls and technical criteria to prevent the abuse of this benefit.

They could be part of an eventual mafia

— Dr. William GuzmánWarning about the possibility of organized groups facilitating fraudulent disability documents.

In response to these serious allegations, Peru's Ministry of Health has pledged to conduct a thorough audit of all disability certificates submitted for the Serums 2026-I process. The ministry has stated its intention to pursue administrative, civil, and criminal actions against any individuals found to be involved in the fraudulent acquisition or validation of these documents, signaling a commitment to restoring faith in the system.

A generic diagnosis should not necessarily mean a disability

— Dr. William GuzmánEmphasizing the need for stricter criteria in evaluating disability claims for the Serums bonus.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La República in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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