Newborn Gang investigation: CHP calls for President Erdoğan to resign

The investigation into the "newborn gang," which caused the deaths of 12 babies by keeping them in intensive care to collect 8,000 Turkish Lira per day from the Social Security Institution (SGK), continues. The Ministry of Health is also continuing its inspection of 19 private hospitals listed as "financially liable" in the indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the "newborn gang," which involves 47 suspects, 22 of whom are under arrest. The licenses of Private Avcılar Hospital, Private TRG Hospitalist Hospital, Private Birinci Hospital, Private Güney Hospital, Private Bağcılar Medilife Hospital, Private Beylikdüzü Medilife Hospital, Private Reyap Istanbul Hospital, Private Şafak Hospital Bağcılar, and Private Silivri Kolan Hospital have been revoked.

CHP Deputy Chairmen Dr. Zeliha Aksaz Şahbaz and Gamze Taşcıer, Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, deputies, and party officials made a statement regarding the "newborn gang" in front of the Esenyurt Reyap Hospital. Özgür Çelik stated the following:

'WE WILL FOLLOW THIS UP'

"We are in front of one of the hospitals to make a press statement regarding the activities of the health gang that has deeply shaken public opinion in Turkey, together with our deputy, our youth branch presidents, and our party members. Unfortunately, we wake up to new terrifying news every day in Turkey. One day we wake up to massacres committed by criminal gangs on the streets. Another day we wake up to news about drug gangs. Another day we wake up to a day where women are murdered. Another day we wake up to another day where stray animals are slaughtered. Today, news that newborn babies are being murdered by gangs is occupying the Turkish public and the Turkish agenda. As the Republican People's Party, we will follow up to the end to ensure that those responsible for this incident, which we are following with horror, are punished at the highest level.

'A 10-PERSON DELEGATION HAS BEEN FORMED'

Our Chairman Özgür Özel has formed a 10-person delegation consisting of our headquarters, deputy chairmen, and deputies regarding the criminal gang carrying out these activities. That 10-person delegation is conducting a very detailed study on the subject. Currently, two of our deputy chairmen from our 10-person delegation are here: Gamze Taşcıer, our Deputy Chairman responsible for the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and Zeliha Aksaz Şahbaz, our Deputy Chairman responsible for the Ministry of Health. In a moment, they will make a press statement on the subject on behalf of the Republican People's Party, on behalf of our party. Finally, I would like to express this: This issue is one of the most important indicators that the health system in Turkey has collapsed. This issue is one of the indicators of the collapse of a health system that is becoming increasingly commercialized day by day. This issue is one of the indicators of a commercialized health system that sees the patient not as a patient, but as a customer. The Republican People's Party will be the defender of a public-oriented, populist, and egalitarian health system against this system to the end. And the Republican People's Party will carry out the necessary struggle to ensure that those responsible for this issue are punished at the highest level and that all those responsible are identified and tried."

CHP Deputy Chairman Zeliha Aksaz Şahbaz spoke as follows:

'THE HEALTH SYSTEM HAS ALSO BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A COMMERCIAL STRUCTURE'

“We are here today to follow a painful event. Following a report made to CİMER in 2023, an investigation was launched by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, stating that 10 of our babies lost their lives and that a gang took over and rented neonatal intensive care units of private hospitals to make financial gains, and that 10 of our babies lost their lives due to health services provided by unqualified and unauthorized persons with inappropriate treatments and insufficient equipment in cooperation, and that many of our babies also lost their health. In this investigation, it was determined that neonatal intensive care units of private hospitals were rented to a gang that established a company in violation of the regulation on private hospitals, that these neonatal intensive care units were operated by the members of this gang with the promise of high income, and that babies were directed to these hospitals from the 112 emergency service. As a result, in addition to the public loss, what concerns us most is the loss of health and lives of our babies, who are the most innocent souls. Our babies lost their lives here. But is this incident just an isolated event limited to this? Or is it the result of a structure that surrounds the health system? Does it stem from the health system? We are questioning these. With the health transformation program that started in 2013, health has been turned into a commercial commodity, and the health system has been turned into a commercial area, a commercial structure that pursues profit. The final point this has reached is the loss of our babies' lives. But this is not limited to just this incident.

'HEALTH IS A PUBLIC SERVICE'

Besides this, with these rentals and the operation of services in other health services. Although the cost is not currently on record, we know that this has turned into a public health problem that threatens the health of our people. That is why we have always said it. We are saying it now too. Health is a public service. It must be provided by the public. It is the primary duty of the state. And it is mandatory to establish a public-oriented health system where all our people will have access to qualified and equal health services. This is just the tip of the iceberg. But underneath it is a decay, a commercialization, and a collapse that surrounds the entire health system. The system behind this incident. That is why we say again that it is necessary to organize with a public-oriented perspective in health. And we ask this from here.

'THE AKP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS INCIDENT'

Has nothing been detected by the Provincial Health Directorate and the Ministry of Health until 2023? Was no disruption seen in this system, no problem in the treatment of these children until this CİMER report? Has it reached such a point only with this CİMER report? We are questioning this. While the Minister of Health was the Istanbul Provincial Health Director, managing this health system from approximately 2016 to 2024, is he not aware of these practices? While intensive care units were being rented and operated by certain companies in violation of the regulation on private hospitals, have the Provincial Health Director, AKP administrators, and the Ministers of Health never heard of this? The person responsible for this incident is the current Minister of Health. It is the Minister of Health of the period and the AKP, which privatized our health system and turned it into a commercial commodity. It is the transformative, privatizing health policies of the AKP.

'WE ALL NEED QUALIFIED AND ACCESSIBLE HEALTH SERVICES'

I feel great sadness like all of us in the face of all these events. We all feel it, I feel it too. As a mother, as a physician, and as an obstetrician, as a physician who hears the first cry of our children when they come into the world, our babies need to be treated in the best way, treated in a scientific way. We all need qualified and accessible health services. As the Republican People's Party, we promise to rebuild this system in a public-oriented way. And as our Chairman said, we will follow this incident to the end.

CHP Deputy Chairman Gamze Taşcıer stated the following:

'DID THOSE WHO GOVERN THE STATE NOT SPEAK UP?'

"We are facing an incident that deeply shakes us all, freezes our blood, and even makes us ashamed of our humanity. Turkey has been turned into a regime where gangs set the rules, threaten the state, have the courage to threaten prosecutors, and challenge human life. We saw drug gangs in Turkey, we saw tender gangs. For the first time in Turkey, we saw newborn gangs. We are facing a process where the lives of many newborns are disregarded by doctors and health workers just to make more profit from the Social Security Institution. We understand from the indictments written that the method of the robbery was clear. The gang members were known. The fraud committed was blatant. However, despite a year and a half passing since all of this, for some reason, public officials and ministries did not feel the need to take a single action. So why did those who govern the state not speak up against this murder that was coming in plain sight until today?

'DOES THE MINISTER OF LABOR, WHO DID NOT LIFT A FINGER, HAVE NO FAULT?'

Unfortunately, Turkey is facing a process where the sense of trust is decreasing in every field. None of us feel safe at home, on the street, at school, or even in the hospital. In fact, the newborn gang case we are experiencing today is the most dire example of the rot that the AKP has brought the country to in 20 years. So, is this incident happening today only the responsibility of some bad people who are gang members? For example, do the administrators who did not make a single statement until a complaint was made to CİMER or until this incident was made public, despite knowing about the incident for a year, a year and a half, and detecting the problems in the inspections, have no fault? Does the current Minister of Health, who was the Provincial Health Director of that period, have no fault? Does the Minister of Labor, who did not lift a finger despite the warnings and despite the Minister of Health's own statement that 'we notified the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of this situation,' have no fault? Does the Minister of Health of that period, Fahrettin Koca, have no fault?

'DOES THE 20-YEAR AK PARTY GOVERNMENT HAVE NO FAULT?'

So, do those who privatized the health system, commodified the health system, weakened public audits, and made public administration incompetent have no fault? Do those who fed the health policies under the name of transformation in health, and privatized education and health, the most basic duty of the state, have no fault? Look, today the number of neonatal intensive care units in the public sector is half the number of intensive care units in the private sector. Does the 20-year AK Party government, which encourages patients to the private sector and removes health from being public, have no fault? As the Republican People's Party, we will do our best to ensure that whoever is involved in this business, regardless of their duty, position, or office, receives the heaviest punishment.

'A WALL IS BEING BUILT'

A wall is being built over our children and our women in this country. We are calling out to those who govern this country from here. Pull that brick out of there. Whoever remains underneath it, let them remain. As long as our children live, our women live, our youth live. I also want to make a call to the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Health, and the Minister of Labor. Act with your conscience for once. Act with your honor for once and honor the process you could not manage and could not govern with your resignation. Of course, their resignation is not enough. Who appointed these ministers? The one-man who appointed the Minister of Health, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Labor must resign. The person responsible for all these experiences, the AK Party government, which is responsible for all the decisions, incompetence, nepotism, and social decay that tries to make easy money a tradition in this country, and its Chairman are responsible.

'THEY WILL CONTINUE TO FEEL US BREATHING DOWN THEIR NECKS'

Against those who want to manipulate public opinion differently and divert perception against perception management, we will continue to express this as we do on every issue, standing tall. Whoever it is, whoever is behind this responsibility, they will continue to feel us breathing down their necks until we do what is necessary, until we re-establish justice in this country, until we re-establish the society's trust in the state, and until we bring competent administrators and a public-oriented understanding back to life. At the end of today, we will follow the process to ensure that the criminals are revealed. We will follow the process to ensure that both the legal process and the political responsibilities, whoever is involved in this in the bureaucracy, whoever encourages these people, whoever gives courage in the judiciary and ministries, are eventually revealed."