Turkish health workers' insurance scam reportedly killed 12 newborns

Ferhat Yaşar / Gazete Duvar

Journalist Emrullah Erdinç reported the details of the investigation conducted by Istanbul's Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which alleged that an insurance scam ring involving doctors, nurses and emergency workers caused the deaths of 12 babies.

The operation had been ongoing since April and 41 people, including doctors and health workers, were detained. Authorities arrested 14 people.

According to the allegations, the ring members were following two methods to charge the Social Security Institution (SGK) 8,000 Turkish liras ($233) per day. 

Either they kept healthy newborns in the neonatal units of private hospitals they had agreements with, by entering incorrect blood test results into the system to make the babies appear ill, or sick babies were transferred to these private hospitals, which lacked full equipment and necessary medical supplies, instead of fully equipped hospitals.

According to audio recordings and expert opinions included in the prosecutor's investigation obtained by the journalist, doctors and nurses who were supposed to be working in the units in question were not in the hospital, and the care of the babies was left to inexperienced staff such as nurse assistants.

In the investigation conducted in Istanbul and Tekirdağ province, it was also claimed that the suspects earned over one billion liras ($29.2M) through this method.

According to a report prepared by inspectors from the Health Ministry, 12 suspicious infant deaths at the mentioned hospitals have been placed under investigation. 

The report revealed that many of the deceased babies suffered from protein and multivitamin deficiencies. In most of the other infant deaths, it was found that the responsible doctors were not present at the hospital, and newly recruited nurses had to call doctors over the phone in an attempt to save the babies. Phone records between the nurses and doctors have been added to the case file. 

The inspectors also documented that the hospitals lacked sufficient equipment and medical supplies.

Gazete Duvar talks with families

Gazete Duvar reached out to Mehmet Hanifi Kaya, the father of a baby who died in one of the hospitals under investigation. Kaya stated that their baby, who was born via c-section without their knowledge, was healthy at birth. The family was informed of the baby's death after three days.

Stating that his statement was taken by the police about five months later, Kaya said, “After the incident, the police called me on April 26, 2024. I gave the necessary documents to them along with my statement.”

Erhan Karaduman's wife also gave birth at Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Hospital, a public research hospital in Istanbul, in November 2023. Doctors at the hospital stated that the baby was not in good condition and that there was no room in the intensive care unit before referring the baby to private Bağcılar Medilife Hospital. However, the baby died two days later.

Father said, “After the birth, they took the baby to a regular hospital room and there was no problem. I went home, they called me at midnight and told me that the child had collapsed. When I went there, they said the child was not doing well.”

Karaduman stated that after the referral, the private hospital told him that the child's heart was perforated and that they needed to operate.

“When they called again, they said there was nothing wrong with the baby’s heart. They said that if your child lived, he would either be bedridden or die soon. In the next call, they said that the child was not doing well, that a doctor would come from another hospital and that there would be a separate fee. I asked them to do whatever it takes.”

The father said that the hospital called him several times to describe the “bad conditions” of the baby before the news of the death.

Karaduman noted, “A few months later, the prosecutor called me and asked for my statement. I explained everything to the prosecutor and they stated that there were complaints.” 

He also mentioned that he could not enter the intensive care unit and see what was happening, adding, “In the end, you trust the doctor and give them your child. You accept whatever they say. They told me at the prosecutor's office that there was negligence, that they did not provide proper care for the child. I said if such a thing has been determined, I would pursue the complaint to the end."

Istanbul Medical Chamber chair suspicious about allegations

Osman Küçükosmanoğlu, Chair of the Board of Directors of Istanbul Medical Chamber, said, “This is not a new incident, this news was made in April-May. The deaths were not reported then. This is an allegation and it is reported as if babies are being taken and killed there. It is not possible for the issue to be to that extent.”

Küçükosmanoğlu stated that there are transfers when there is no room in intensive care units and that the SGK pays a certain amount for these transfers.

“Because of this payment, they are transferred to the intensive care units of private hospitals. There are places that are not suitable, but taking healthy babies, keeping them there and causing their deaths is a very serious accusation. We have not heard anything like that,” he added.

The professor noted, “But of course, there are some problems created by privatization in the health system. Unnecessary hospitalizations and surgeries of patients are being discussed.”

Küçükosmanoğlu stated the he did not believe the babies would have been killed by problems such as malnutrition in the hospitals as "the news suggested."

(English translation by Can Bodrumlu)