Shocking statements in 'Newborn Gang' indictment: 'Hospitals close to AKP were not inspected'

Remarkable details have emerged in the indictment regarding the "newborn gang" investigation in Istanbul, where illicit profits were allegedly generated by referring babies to contracted hospitals, leading to their deaths due to negligence.

The indictment, prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, lists 197 criminal acts and alleges that some hospitals were informed of inspections in advance.

According to information in the indictment, Hasan Basri Gök, a detained nurse at the private Reyap Hospital mentioned in the investigation, claimed in a phone conversation with Serenay Şenkalaycı, a nurse working at Avcılar Hospital, that while many private hospitals were being inspected, those known for their proximity to the AKP were not.

In the conversation, Gök stated, "Mehmet said so. He said there is an inspection at Şafak. They also went to Silivri Anadolu. They went to Beylikdüzü Kolon. The Medicalpark groups are already with the AKP. They didn't go to them, I checked. They didn't go to the Memorial groups either, I checked."

According to a report by Cengiz Karagöz from Cumhuriyet, Dr. Recep Koç from the Istanbul Medical Chamber stated that the licenses of 10 out of the 19 hospitals mentioned in the indictment have been revoked, while the others continue to operate.

Koç asked, "But what is the characteristic of the remaining ones? Who is protecting the remaining hospitals? If it is seen that these hospital owners are AKP members, could it be that some have more political influence?"

Dr. Koç pointed out that this situation might be similar to the patient referral policy in city hospitals and made the following assessment:

"Could it be that these small hospitals are being closed to ensure patient referrals to large hospital chains? The same thing was done in city hospitals. As you know, physician licenses are like car license plates. You cannot just say 'I will open a hospital' and request a license. There are physician quotas, we are talking about millions. Could such a scheme be going on inside?"

Revealed by a CİMER complaint

Recalling that the incident was revealed by a complaint made to CİMER (Presidential Communication Center), Dr. Koç stated, "There is a private hospitals branch at the ministry, they conduct inspections. There are also SGK (Social Security Institution) inspection teams. This has been going on for years. The Minister of Health talks about the gang aspect, but has any disciplinary investigation been conducted regarding his own officials? Have they been suspended? There is no information."

What happened?

The Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into allegations that 12 babies died due to negligence after being admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital without medical necessity, and the prosecutor conducting the investigation, Y.E., was threatened in his office.

While the revelation of the incident caused public outrage, an indictment was prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against 47 suspects, 22 of whom are in custody.

What is in the indictment?

The indictment seeks prison sentences ranging from a total of 177 years and 6 months to 589 years and 9 months for the suspects on charges of "causing death by negligent conduct," "qualified fraud," "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes," and "forgery of official documents."

In the indictment, 10 deceased babies are listed as "victims," 5 people as "complainants," the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of the Social Security Institution (SGK) as "party damaged by the crime," 19 hospitals and health companies as "financially liable," and 47 people as "suspects."