Turkey's health scandal: Newborn deaths linked to fraud scheme
A scandal has erupted in Turkey involving the suspicious deaths of newborns. Due to actions by doctors, nurses, and paramedics who allegedly attempted to defraud the Social Security System, twelve infants have died.
The perpetrators employed 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 the infants were ill.
According to investigators, patients were directed to facilities lacking the necessary resources for effective treatment, which could lead to tragic outcomes.
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 (approximately £260) per patient daily. According to investigators, the fraud could involve multimillion-pound sums, leading to the arrest of 41 people.
The total amount of funds extorted is estimated to reach up to a billion Turkish lira, which is equivalent to roughly £32 million. This operation had significant financial and ethical implications, and its scale indicates long-term and well-organised 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 have suffered from protein and vitamin deficiencies, potentially worsening their health.
As reported by the Duvar portal, these hospitals often lacked experienced staff, with inexperienced nurses having 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 scepticism about the scale of the reported claims, stating: "It's not possible for the matter to have such a magnitude." However, he noted that due to the issue of lack of space in public facilities, children could indeed have been transferred to private hospitals, which could have influenced some of the described cases.
