Need a doctor in Naples? Try tennis court, not hospital

ROME – Fifty-five employees at a Naples public hospital, including doctors and nurses, are under house arrest for allegedly clocking in, then disappearing from their posts, including one physician spotted hopping a cab to play tennis, another suspect who allegedly worked as a hotel chef while on duty at the hospital, and others who slipped off to go shopping.

Carabinieri police said Friday that 94 Loreto Mare hospital employees are being investigated in the fraud probe. Over two years, police trailed suspects and filmed them, including one person who swiped the electronic badges of as many as 20 other no-show colleagues to make it appear they were at work.

Previously, workers elsewhere successfully challenged in court the government’s vow to fire goldbrickers.