Statements unveil scope of health care fraud as Türkiye follows trial
ISTANBUL
Health care workers continued to deliver testimonies on the second day of a landmark trial closely followed across Türkiye, with their statements lying bare the harrowing extent of a social security fraud scheme that allegedly led to the deaths of 10 newborns.
“They were keeping patients hospitalized longer to claim additional payments from the Social Security Institution [SGK]. The infants were falsely reported as the highest level of care. Nurses were paid for assisting with discharge summaries and other documentation,” testified nurse Hasan Basri Gök during the Nov. 19 hearing.
Among the 47 defendants are doctors, nurse and an ambulance driver, all accused of transferring newborns to neonatal units at 19 private hospitals, where the infants were purportedly subjected to unnecessary treatments. The aim was to secure a social security payment of 8,000 Turkish Liras ($230) per day.
Dr. Fırat Sarı, the main defendant who operated the neonatal intensive care units of several private hospitals in Istanbul, is facing a sentence of up to 583 years in prison.
Nurse Gök said that the pediatrician of the hospital where the baby was born and Sarı arranged referrals, adding that they were making money from baby referrals.
“They received 5,000 liras per baby,” he said.
Another nurse of the “newborn gang,” Hakan Doğukan Taşçı, said that a patient who was intubated for five days was documented as having been intubated for 10.
“If a patient is recorded as intubated for three days, SGK pays less. To maximize payouts, they exaggerated the duration of intubation,” Taşçı stated.
He also revealed that a medication essential for neonatal lung development was procured in bulk at discounted rates through the social security system but was illicitly sold outside the hospital instead of being administered to the infants.
Taşçı further alleged that Sarı instructed staff to withhold the medication from "hopeless cases" to prevent it from being wasted.
Additionally, Taşçı accused the lead doctor of refusing to release a deceased infant’s body to the family due to outstanding charges incurred through unwarranted treatments.
Both nurses emphasized Sarı’s culpability, asserting that despite their awareness of the malpractices, their roles within the hospital hierarchy were not critical enough to challenge the system.
The trial at Bakırköy Courthouse has attracted significant attention, with a throng of journalists and bar association lawyers from across Türkiye attending the proceedings. This case, one of the country’s most egregious healthcare scandals, has also drawn scrutiny from international media outlets.
The second day of the trial coincided with a parliamentary commission meeting to discuss the Health Ministry’s budget.
Opposition lawmakers brought baby clothes and accessories to protest the ministry. The heated session was temporarily adjourned.
In his response, Minister Kemal Memişoğlu labeled the crackdown on the criminal network as the “Rotten Apple Operation.”
“As always, we have fought against illegality and misconduct, and we will continue to do so,” the minister said.
