Statement from the Private Hospitals Platform regarding the newborn gang scandal: "We will fulfill our duty throughout the process"

The Ministry of Health's investigation into the hospitals mentioned in the probe regarding the deaths of some babies in neonatal intensive care units is ongoing. A written statement on this matter has been issued by the Private Hospitals Platform.

The statement noted that these allegations have shaken trust in healthcare services and damaged the reputation of other healthcare workers in the sector. It was stated that every loss is an indescribable pain and that all necessary steps will be taken to ensure such incidents do not happen again. The statement highlighted that private hospitals make significant contributions to Turkey's healthcare system and serve millions of patients every day with high quality standards. It was mentioned that the services provided by healthcare institutions operating in Turkey during the pandemic, which affected the whole world, set an example for the entire world, and that this situation further increased the preference for our country in the field of health tourism, which was already active before the pandemic.

The statement, which noted that just as there are criminals in every profession and sector, there are also heroes, mentioned that there are nurses who sob for a baby who has passed away, or many physicians who work day and night with great effort. The statement said, "As long as humanity exists, there will be criminals; a crime committed by a person or persons abusing their profession should not cast suspicion on an entire profession, nor should it completely smear an institution, a hospital, or a sector. Without making a distinction between the public or private sector, and without allowing the sanctity of the medical profession to be overshadowed, the reliability of private hospitals that adhere to honest and ethical working principles should not be cast in doubt."

In the written statement, it was noted that as private hospitals, they see ensuring patient safety and meticulously complying with the regulations set by the state as one of their fundamental responsibilities, and that they support the relevant individuals being held accountable before the law. The statement indicated that they do not find it correct for institutions and individuals to be declared guilty under the name of the 'presumption of innocence', that they believe the investigation initiated by the Ministry of Health in May 2023 will be conducted carefully and meticulously, and that the platform will fulfill its duty throughout the process.

The statement, which emphasized that patient safety and quality in healthcare services are important issues, noted that all measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening again, that work will continue towards providing better healthcare services with the lessons learned during this process, and that trust in all private hospitals should not be lost due to bad examples. The statement conveyed that they work with devotion to ensure that healthcare services are high-quality, reliable, and accessible to everyone, and that while combating unethical behaviors in this process, measures will be taken for healthcare systems under the leadership of the Ministry of Health.