Turkey rocked by newborn death scandal linked to hospital fraud
A scandal has erupted in Turkey involving suspicious deaths of newborns. As a result of actions by doctors, nurses, and paramedics who allegedly attempted to defraud the Social Security System, twelve children have died.
The perpetrators used two methods to extort money. First, they placed healthy newborns in neonatal wards in private hospitals with which they collaborated. Then, they falsified the children's blood test results to create the impression that they were ill.
According to investigators, patients were directed to facilities lacking proper resources for effective treatment, which could lead to tragic consequences.
The second method of fraud involved transferring children to private hospitals that lacked appropriate medical equipment, further hindering their treatment. This practice allowed the suspects to extort about 8,000 Turkish lira (about CAD 400) per patient daily. According to investigators, the fraud could involve multimillion-dollar sums, leading to the arrest of 41 people.
The total amount of funds extorted is estimated to reach up to a billion Turkish lira, roughly equivalent to CAD 48 million. This operation had significant financial and ethical consequences, and its scale indicates long-term and well-organized criminal activity.
Turkey. 12 newborns dead
The Ministry of Health revealed that at least 12 suspicious deaths have been identified that occurred in private facilities. Some of the deceased infants were reported to suffer from protein and vitamin deficiencies, which could have further deteriorated their health.
As reported by the Duvar portal, these hospitals often lacked experienced staff, and inexperienced nurses were forced to consult with doctors who were not present at the site. Osman Kucukosmanoglu, the head of the Istanbul Medical Chamber, commented on the situation.
He expressed skepticism about the scale of the reported claims, stating: "It's not possible for the matter to have such a magnitude." At the same time, he noted that due to the lack of space in public facilities, children indeed could have been transferred to private hospitals, which could have influenced some of the described cases.
