By Nazlan Ertan
A week after the revelation of a scandal involving a criminal network that reaped profits by exploiting newborn babies, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed on Oct. 22 to take swift action. “As president of the republic, I will ensure that those monsters who destroyed the lives of babies never see the light of day again,” he pledged.
The “Newborn Gang” scandal has cast a shadow over Erdoğan’s healthcare policies, a critical electoral stronghold for his Islamist-populist AKP.
The vast operation involved doctors, hospital staff, and employees from the 112 Emergency Call Center, who were instrumental in orchestrating the transfer of newborns from public hospitals to private facilities, where they were kept in intensive care units (ICUs) for longer than medically necessary. The goal was to defraud the Social Security Institution (SGK) by charging for unnecessary or extended treatments.
Newborns, often in critical condition, were transferred to private hospitals without regard for the capacity or suitability of the facilities. Many of these hospitals were ill-equipped to handle such cases, leading to multiple avoidable infant deaths. In addition to keeping babies in ICUs longer than necessary, the gang demanded excessive payments from the parents. For example, one family was asked to pay 35,000 Turkish lira (approximately $1,300) for unnecessary medical supplies and hospital stays.
Tragically, their child died shortly after being transferred to one of the implicated hospitals. Local papers have published transcripts of shocking conversations between the gang members, where they calculate their earnings and worry about the risks: “The mother is Syrian, she would not dare report,” or “Do not worry, the baby is already buried.”
The case, which has led to arrests, hospital closures, and public outrage, exposes deep corruption within parts of Turkey’s healthcare system. It has also sparked fierce criticism of the Health Ministry, accused of failing to act promptly, particularly since some of the implicated private hospitals have ties to the government.
Notably, Avcılar Hospital, owned by former Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, was one of the hospitals whose licenses were canceled.
Erdoğan defended the government's response, citing an efficient investigation that resulted in the arrest of 22 suspects, the closure of a hospital in Tekirdağ, and the cancellation of the licenses of nine hospitals in Istanbul.
The president lauded the swift judicial and administrative actions taken “without delay” against the gang “including sympathizers of the separatist terrorist organization,” - a reference to the gang leader Fırat Sarı, who had been charged with PKK membership in 1998 but was pardoned with a 2003 amnesty.
Unsurprisingly, Erdoğan blamed critics, notably the opposition, media, and professional groups, for “playing politics” with people’s suffering in their efforts to undermine the health reform under his government.
The opposition was far from convinced.
Turhan Çömez, a former doctor and deputy chairman of the İyi Parti, visited Esentepe Reyap Hospital, where Sarı worked, and broadcast live to show that its emergency unit was still operational despite reports that its license had been revoked.
TREADING GENTLY
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu, who served as Istanbul’s health director when the crimes occurred, has struggled to calm the public.
Memişoğlu admitted that the gang had evaded detection for an extended period by manipulating records, complicating efforts to gather evidence. Memişoğlu said the Istanbul Health Directorate wrote to the police to enroll their help on May 5. “Only four people knew of this letter,” he said, admitting that they kept the investigation under wraps because they “did not know who might be involved.”
According to journalist Alican Uludağ, Memişoğlu was not being truthful when he said he first heard about the case last March through a complaint to the Presidential Information Service (CIMER) by a doctor who noticed the discrepancies in newborn records.
Uludağ posted online the doctor's testimony, which showed that he had initially reported his suspicions to his superiors in January 2023, months before he wrote to CIMER.
NOT JUST NEWBORN
The scandal has profound implications for Turkey’s healthcare system, already under strain. Public trust, particularly in private hospitals, has been badly shaken, with claims all across news outlets that similar methods have also been used in elderly care all across Turkey. The Health Ministry has since announced plans to overhaul the inspection process for private facilities, focusing on neonatal units. “I have stood against my former minister and a personal friend. I will not hesitate to close my brother’s hospital if I detect malpractice,” Memişoğlu said before the cameras.
Few believe him. Critics argue that the profit-driven model of private healthcare creates opportunities for abuse, especially in vulnerable populations like newborns.
Worse for Erdoğan, the investigation has also exposed a culture of intimidation. Lawyers representing the accused were caught on camera threatening the lead prosecutor. Some families said they faced threats to remain silent. Also, former Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has remained conspicuously silent amid growing calls for accountability.
A new parliamentary investigation commission, established on Oct. 22 through the joint motion of all political parties, has much to do.
