Organizational chart of the 'Newborn Gang' baby killers revealed

For days, Turkey has been talking about the scandals of the baby-killing Newborn Gang.

The investigation, conducted by the Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, was completed following a tip-off received by the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate via CİMER on March 27, 2023, which was then forwarded to the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Financial Crimes Branch on May 21, 2023.

The indictment prepared by the Anti-Financial Crimes Branch as part of the investigation included the following statements from the tip-off sent to CİMER:

"Former PKK convict and current IYI Party member, Reyap Hospital neonatal intensive care doctor Fırat Sarı and İlker Gönen are defrauding the Social Security Institution (SGK). By leasing the neonatal intensive care units of Reyap Hospital, Beylikdüzü Medilife Hospital, Bağcılar Şafak Hospital, Doğa Hospital, Medicine Bağcılar Hospital, formerly Ethica Hospital, Duygu Hospital, and many others, they did not keep a doctor on night duty, and many babies died in an inhumane manner due to conditions that were not suitable for human or medical standards and many other reasons. These individuals have been earning millions of Turkish liras for years by always showing first-level patients as third-level in epicrises, bribing the 112 command and control center, and 'buying' babies, causing the deaths of hundreds of infants. These sold babies lost their lives under poor conditions in the intensive care units of Fırat Sarı and İlker Gönen. To stop the baby deaths, these blood-sucking traitors must be stopped. If the hospitals I mentioned are raided suddenly, you will understand exactly what I mean. These deceased babies could have been your babies too. I have no doubt that my noble state will do what is necessary."

The indictment noted that police teams conducted a project-based study regarding the allegations, and that as a result of 2,400 conversations evaluated as containing criminal content, as well as inspections conducted by Provincial Health Directorate officials, it was determined that 41 suspects were involved in the crime, with Dr. Fırat Sarı and Dr. İlker Gönen acting in concert with 112 Emergency Call Center employees.

The indictment, which stated that 197 criminal acts were identified as a result of the project-based study and inspections by Provincial Health Directorate officials, indicated that the inspections, bank account movements, HTS (call detail record) analyses, and physical surveillance reports overlapped with the incriminating conversations.

THE ORGANIZATION'S MODUS OPERANDI EXPLAINED

The indictment stated that Dr. Fırat Sarı, owner of Medisense Health Services Company, and Dr. İlker Gönen, who appeared as an employee in the company's records, violated Article 10 of the Regulation on Private Hospitals—which states, "No workplace for any other purpose can be found in the part of the building used as a hospital, and no section within the hospital can be leased to third parties or transferred in any way to operate for another purpose"—by taking over the neonatal intensive care units of many private hospitals in Istanbul to operate them and placing their own healthcare staff into the neonatal units of the hospitals they contracted with.

It was reported that these individuals, through 112 Emergency Call Center ambulance driver Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir, 112 Emergency Call Center patient transfer coordinator Fehmi Alperen, out-of-province patient transfer coordinator Serdar Yüksel, and Renas Kılıç, who worked in the Esenyurt Municipality Health Services at the time, identified baby patients born in state hospitals or other private hospitals whose treatment was deemed appropriate to be carried out in other hospitals due to overcrowding, and had them transferred to their own contracted hospitals regardless of whether the treatment methods were suitable.

The indictment stated that the suspects ensured the baby patients remained in the hospital for periods of time that were contrary to the natural flow of life, thereby causing the public institution to suffer losses by obtaining high amounts of payments from the SGK, while also causing the deaths of babies who could not be treated with appropriate methods.

The indictment stated that suspect Sarı took over the operation of the neonatal intensive care units of Bağcılar Medilife, Beylikdüzü Medilife, Bağcılar TRG Hospitalist, Avcılar Hospital, Reyap Hospital, and Birinci Hospital in Istanbul, and by transferring baby patients from state hospitals or other private hospitals to these units, he ensured they were constantly full, leading to the collection of high payments from the SGK.

The indictment also included information that the suspects worked to increase the hospital's revenue in this way and received payments under the name of "entitlements" in return.

ORGANIZATION MEMBERS ACTED TO BYPASS THE SYSTEM

The indictment described how the organization acted to bypass the system in order to increase the revenue of the hospitals they contracted with.

It was stated that criminal organization leader and 112 Emergency Service ambulance driver Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir, 112 Emergency Hospital transfer coordinator Renas Kılıç, organization member Fehmi Alperen, and organization member Serdar Yüksel, who handled out-of-province hospital transfers, learned about baby patients who needed to be transferred from state or private hospitals.

The indictment stated that these individuals, after informing organization leader Dr. Fırat Sarı or organization manager İlker Gönen and receiving instructions on which contracted hospital they wanted the baby transferred to, acted in violation of the Emergency Health Services Coordination Commission (ASKOM) algorithm to make the necessary transfer to that hospital. After convincing the baby's family, they performed a "treatment refusal" procedure, and then organization manager Özdemir ensured the patient was admitted to one of the contracted hospitals as an emergency case without obtaining a provision number from the 112 Emergency Call Center, as if the patient had not gone to another hospital, thereby obtaining financial gain.

The indictment noted that according to the ASKOM algorithm, when it is deemed appropriate for a patient to be transferred to another hospital due to overcrowding or unsuitable treatment conditions in the state or private hospital where they are located, established procedures must be followed. It was recorded that in addition to the epicrisis report (a report starting from the outpatient file of the patient applying to health institutions and determining the patient's progress from the end of clinical treatment) prepared by the doctor for the patient, a Ministry of Health inter-facility case transfer request form and a general declaration form regarding the issuance of health reports must be filled out.

It was reported that after these procedures, the situation was first communicated to ASKOM and then to the Public Hospitals Services Presidency, and after a request was created from the 112 Coordination Center, a provision number was obtained, and the transfer was carried out to private hospitals previously notified to the 112 Emergency Call Center Directorate that had the equipment to provide appropriate treatment.

The indictment emphasized that this process was carried out according to a specific order and sequence, and that by ensuring the same rate of patient transfers to each hospital, acting against competitive conditions was prevented.

ORGANIZATION LEADER WAS IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH HIS HEALTHCARE STAFF

The indictment stated that organization leader Dr. Fırat Sarı, acting with organization manager Dr. İlker Gönen, had baby patients transferred to the hospitals he contracted with through illicit methods, regardless of whether the hospitals were in a condition to provide treatment under appropriate conditions, at the cost of the babies' lives, and obtained high amounts of income from the SGK by ensuring the long-term hospitalization of the baby patients.

The indictment stated that the suspects showed medications used in respiratory treatment as having been used on baby patients and sold them to third parties, and at times, they took advantage of the grievances and desperation of foreign national baby patient relatives, using organization member nurses to charge treatment costs above market prices, a practice referred to as "brokerage," and committed fraud by using the public institution as an intermediary.

The indictment stated that Fırat Sarı was in constant communication with the healthcare staff loyal to him in every hospital to follow up on these and many other such transactions, and that he made regular payments to these healthcare staff from his company and personal bank accounts.

CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION CHART REVEALED

The criminal organization chart in the indictment included the names of the organization leader, managers, and members.

According to the chart, the indictment stated that Fırat Sarı led the criminal organization, while İlker Gönen and Gıyasettin Mert Özdemir were managers. The members of the organization were listed as Renas Kılıç, Serdar Yüksel, Fehmi Alperen, Hakan Doğukan Taşçı, Hasan Basri Gök, Deniz Korkmaz, Enes Kaan Bölükbaşı, Hüseyin Günerhan, Sümeyye Nur Arslan, Cansu Akyıldırım, and Mehtap Sayar.

The indictment stated that the suspects, by contracting with many hospitals for baby patients, caused them to lose their lives or live with permanent health problems due to inappropriate and insufficient treatment methods, and also obtained unfair gain by billing the SGK for high treatment costs due to these treatment methods.

In the indictment, based on evidence obtained from the Provincial Health Directorate's inspection reports, HTS records, and bank account movements, it was assessed that the individuals gathered around the organization leader, within a hierarchical order and a specific division of labor, ensured the continuity of the crime and caused it to be committed many times, and that in this context, the elements of establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes were met.

The indictment also listed the hospitals and the suspect nurses working there as follows:

"Bağcılar Medilife Hospital nurse Çağla Durmuş, Beylikdüzü Medilife Hospital nurse Ceren Hatice Kırım, TRG Hospitalist Hospital nurse Cansu Akyıldırım, Reyap Hospital nurses Mehtap Sayar and Sümeyye Nur Arslan, Esenler Güney Hospital nurse Hüseyin Günerhan, Bağcılar Şafak Hospital nurse Mehmet Halis Başli, Duygu Hospital nurse Deniz Korkmaz, and nurses Hakan Doğukan Taşçı and Hasan Basri Gök, who tracked patients in 11 hospitals."