The horrifying details of the “newborn gang” scandal in Türkiye have rocked the nation

The horrifying details of the “newborn gang” scandal in Türkiye have rocked the nation.

Individuals, including doctors, nurses and hospital staff, manipulated newborn patient transfers to private hospitals for financial gain. At least 20 babies lost their lives due to the actions of the Turkish gang, as critical care was overlooked for profit. According to the Bakirkoy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, 47 individuals, including 22 currently in custody, have been accused of forming an organized crime group that manipulated the transfer of critically ill newborns to private hospitals, often sending them to facilities lacking proper equipment.

These hospitals inflated bills to the Social Security Institution (SGK) and unnecessarily prolonged the newborns’ stays to increase profits. The indictment directly states that the group’s motive was financial gain, not the welfare of the babies.

The 494-page indictment holds 21 individuals accountable for infant deaths and alleges that the investigation began during the tenure of former Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

The indictment also reveals that the suspects collaborated with 112 Emergency Services to send infant patients to the neonatal units of agreed private hospitals, enabling them to gain unjust profits and contributing to the deaths of some infants. The Bakirkoy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office completed the indictment on Thursday.