They are even collecting the fines the SGK will impose from the patients

The issue of patients covered by the Social Security Institution (SGK) receiving treatment in private hospitals—which Ahmet Hakan first highlighted in an interview as something "like a revolution"—was made possible in 2008.

The Health Implementation Communiqué (SUT) system was introduced.

Thus, citizens began receiving treatment at hospitals contracted with the SGK, and private hospitals began collecting fees from the SGK.

As of 2025, the number of hospitals without an SGK contract does not exceed 10% of all private hospitals.

Since the implementation began, private hospitals have put methods into practice solely to receive more money from the SGK.

The most painful example emerged with the "Newborn Gang."

We saw a gang that killed babies without blinking just to get money from the SGK and the families.

The gang took over the operation of neonatal intensive care units in the private hospitals they contracted with and placed their own members in the staff managing the patient referral process. While babies were being referred, these units were constantly shown as full to collect money from the SGK.

After this incident, inspections were tightened.

Patients going to private hospitals contracted with the SGK are being asked for money under the guise of "out-of-pocket payments."

The fine for not reporting diagnoses and treatments that are within the scope of the SUT and should be billed to the SGK is 45,614 TL.

Private hospitals demand "out-of-pocket payments" from patients and their relatives during cashier transactions.

The most recent example occurred at a private hospital in Gaziosmanpaşa, Istanbul.

They are demanding 70,000 TL for a procedure to be performed on a patient.

However, they want this money as an out-of-pocket, non-invoiced payment of 60,000 TL. 45,614 TL of this is the collection of the fine.

The fine is imposed after you make the payment and report it.

Let me give you another example, using the text from the SGK's own documents:

"For instance, a patient who applied to a private hospital for an endometrioma and endometriosis operation had their surgery removed from the scope of the SGK contract, and an additional fee of 120,000 TL was charged to the patient under the name of a private-pay patient. In the investigation conducted as a result of the complaint made by the patient to the SGK, it was observed that although the endometrioma and endometriosis operations could be billed to the institution under the SGK contract with SUT codes P620520 and 620520, and the hospital could charge a maximum additional fee of 15,000 TL in this case, the hospital accepted the risk of a fine and charged the patient an additional fee of 120,000 TL. In this case, when the fine amount and the surgery fee amount are deducted, the hospital earned 120,000 TL – (15,000 TL + 31,692 TL) = 73,308 TL."

In summary: The private hospital demands 120,000 TL from the patient. That year, the fine was 31,692 TL.

15,000 TL is the additional fee.

The profit remaining after deducting the fine: 73,308 TL.

The hospital both avoids taxes and receives money from the SGK; that is not enough, and it also demands this from the patient against the possibility of receiving a fine.

In the incident in Gaziosmanpaşa, the maximum additional fee that can be charged to the patient is 15,000 TL.

They are asking for 60,000 TL from the patient.

Additional fee: 15,000 TL

Fine: 45,614 TL

14,386 TL + 15,000 TL (additional fee)

Profit remaining for the hospital: 29,386 TL

And they will also receive money from the SGK for this patient.