Turkish scandal: Fraudulent neonatal care leads to 12 deaths
A scandal has erupted in Turkey involving the suspicious deaths of newborns. Due to the actions of doctors, nurses, and paramedics who allegedly attempted to defraud the Social Security System, twelve children have died.
6:06 AM EDT, October 13, 2024
The perpetrators used two methods to extort money. First, they placed healthy newborns in neonatal wards in private hospitals, where 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 that did not have the proper resources for effective treatment, potentially leading 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 (roughly $220) 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, which is roughly $28 million. This operation had significant financial and ethical consequences, and its scale indicates a 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 in private facilities. Some of the deceased infants were reported to have suffered from protein and vitamin deficiencies, which could have further deteriorated their health.
As reported by the Duvar portal, these hospitals often lacked experienced staff, with inexperienced nurses forced to consult with doctors who were not present on-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 could have been transferred to private hospitals, which might have influenced some of the described cases.
