Nurses' confessions in the newborn gang scandal are chilling! 'Is it dying? Let it do whatever it's doing!'

The testimonies of members of the gang, which generated illicit profits from the Social Security Institution by referring infants to contracted hospitals and caused the deaths of at least 12 babies in Istanbul, have been revealed as they seek to benefit from effective remorse provisions.

Sema U., who gave a statement in the capacity of a person with knowledge, said, "I was working as the head nurse of the intensive care unit at Bağcılar TRG Hospitalist Hospital. The hospital's manager at that time was Murat Mantuş. During the period when Mantuş was working as manager, doctor Fırat Sarı and his team were present at the hospital, but I do not know if he had official responsibility at the hospital."

Stating that she worked in the intensive care unit for about 2 weeks during the time when Sarı, who is said to be the leader of the gang, was at the hospital, Sema U. said, "During the time I worked, I submitted my resignation because I was uncomfortable with the fact that patients were kept in the hospital for much longer than the discharge time. During this period, Fırat Sarı told me that he would pay extra to the intensive care supervisors and conveyed this offer to me as well, but I did not accept it and submitted my resignation," she said.

'I SAID THE SENTENCE "IS IT DYING? LET IT DO WHATEVER IT WANTS" OUT OF TENSION'

When asked about the sentence she used in a phone conversation regarding a patient, "This one is also 80, 82, then it becomes 98, I've given up now, is it dying? Let it do whatever it wants," suspect Çağla Durmuş said, "I said it in the tension of that moment. We did everything that needed to be done for the patient. Doctors decide on the procedures to be performed and not to be performed, and nurses carry them out."

NURSE: 'I WROTE EPICRISIS REPORTS INSTEAD OF THE DOCTOR, WE SOLD MEDICATION ILLEGALLY'

Suspect nurse Hakan Doğukan Taşcı stated that he wanted to benefit from the provisions of effective remorse.

Explaining that newborn babies were referred to other hospitals by endangering their health for the purpose of making money, Taşcı stated that he prepared reports in place of doctor Şeyhmus Çelik under the instructions of Fırat Sarı.

Confessing that they also engaged in the illegal sale of medication, Taşcı said the following:

"I know the person named Fırat Sarı from the time I worked at Reyap Hospital. He is the hospital's pediatrician. The person who dragged me into illegal business is Fırat Sarı. While he is supposed to have a doctor at the hospital, he leaves me in place of the doctor. I had to talk to the person named Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir on the phone and face-to-face a few times. I reported this person to CİMER (Presidential Communication Center). The reason I reported him is because he is involved in baby trafficking. This person works as an ambulance driver for 112 Emergency. He does business with many private hospitals. He generally makes agreements with chief physicians and hospital managers to bring in newborn babies from outside to be hospitalized and makes a profit from this. In these transactions, he refers babies to hospitals by endangering their lives just to make money, without looking at whether the hospital is suitable for these newborns.

During the time I worked at Birinci Hospital, I wrote epicrisis reports in place of the doctor named Şeyhmus Çelik. I made arrangements. The doctor named Şeyhmus Çelik and Fırat Sarı are aware that I performed these operations. Fırat Sarı told me to write these reports. While there should be a doctor on duty at night, there is none. They dump this responsibility on nurses like me. Together with Hasan Basri, we generated income by illegally selling a drug called Curusorf. I regret all the actions I have taken. For this reason, I want to benefit from the provisions of effective remorse."

'I AND OTHER EMPLOYEES CHANGED THE REPORTS'

Nurse Hasan Basri Gök, who said he wanted to benefit from the provisions of effective remorse, said, "They obtained illegal income by tampering with the stage levels of newborn babies coming to intensive care and by issuing excessive invoices to the SGK. Fırat Sarı was changing the blood gas parameters with a program he wrote on Excel, printing them as he wished, and invoicing them to the SGK. It is true that the epicrisis reports were changed and re-edited by me and other employees in line with Fırat Sarı's instructions. I regret all the irregularities I have committed."

'THE BABY STARTED TO TURN BLUE DAY BY DAY, IT WAS SEDATED WITH HEAVY NARCOTIC DRUGS'

Explaining what he knew about the death of a baby, Gök said the following:

"A baby came to the hospital. Its condition was not bad when it arrived, but on the 2nd or 3rd day of its hospitalization, its condition began to worsen, and it started to experience heart anomaly problems. Because Fırat Sarı referred the baby to Birinci International Hospital, which was in poor conditions and where no treatment could be provided regarding heart surgery, no surgical procedure could be performed on the baby at the hospital. The person responsible for the baby at the hospital was Hakan Doğukan Taşcı.

In fact, Doğukan, who met with the baby's family, introduced himself as a doctor and was intervening with the baby in the capacity of a doctor. The only medication that could be applied to the baby was a heart medication. Hakan Doğukan was giving this medication. At one point, he stopped the medication. He sedated the baby with a heavy narcotic drug. Afterwards, although the baby was intervened with, it started to turn blue day by day because it had a heart anomaly, but Hakan Doğukan Taşcı kept the baby for about 1.5 months with the medication he gave."

THE SUSPECT WHO SAID 'FINISH HIM OFF' FOR THE BABY: 'I SAID IT UNDER STRESS'

Regarding the conversation with Hakan Doğukan Taşcı containing the phrase "Finish him off," Hasan Basri Gök said, "Since I knew the baby was in bad condition, I had told Hakan Doğukan that the baby would not live long, that constantly giving the baby medication and keeping it alive by force would not mean anything, and that the baby would pass away in these hospital conditions. I am very sorry for the sentences I used, but these sentences I used were sentences I used under stress in the hospital environment. I did not use a sentence intentionally."

Hasan Basri Gök continued his words in the continuation of his statement as follows:

"I tampered with epicrisis reports and patient stages with the instructions of Fırat Sarı. I committed irregularities by changing these. However, apart from these, I was definitely not involved in any negligence or intentional situation in the death of any baby. Together with the person named Hakan Doğukan Taşcı, we took medication out of the hospital and sold it in line with Fırat Sarı's instructions, and we gave the money from this to Fırat Sarı. In January 2024, I could no longer stand these irregularities, left this person's side, and cut off all my connections."