Trial of Medics in Turkey Over Allegations of Profiting from Baby Deaths
Multiple healthcare professionals face serious charges in connection with a scandal involving newborns.
A group of 47 medical personnel in Turkey is currently on trial for their alleged involvement in a scandal where newborn babies were transferred between hospitals for profit, leading to the deaths of at least 10 infants. Prosecutors have accused doctors, nurses, and ambulance drivers of fabricating diagnoses to move babies to private hospitals. Here, they reportedly received extensive and sometimes unnecessary care in neonatal intensive care units, generating social security payments for the time they spent there. The 1,400-page indictment outlines how the defendants potentially profited from these transfers. However, those accused maintain their innocence, asserting their decisions were made in the best interest of the baby patients. During the trial’s opening, protests erupted outside the Istanbul courthouse, with demonstrators demanding accountability and calling for the closure of private hospitals involved in the scheme. The investigation began following an anonymous tip in March 2023, prompting the revocation of licenses for 10 implicated hospitals. If convicted, the defendants could face severe penalties including homicide through negligence, fraud, and forgery.
Multiple healthcare professionals face serious charges in connection with a scandal involving newborns.
A group of 47 medical personnel in Turkey is currently on trial for their alleged involvement in a scandal where newborn babies were transferred between hospitals for profit, leading to the deaths of at least 10 infants. Prosecutors have accused doctors, nurses, and ambulance drivers of fabricating diagnoses to move babies to private hospitals. Here, they reportedly received extensive and sometimes unnecessary care in neonatal intensive care units, generating social security payments for the time they spent there. The 1,400-page indictment outlines how the defendants potentially profited from these transfers. However, those accused maintain their innocence, asserting their decisions were made in the best interest of the baby patients. During the trial’s opening, protests erupted outside the Istanbul courthouse, with demonstrators demanding accountability and calling for the closure of private hospitals involved in the scheme. The investigation began following an anonymous tip in March 2023, prompting the revocation of licenses for 10 implicated hospitals. If convicted, the defendants could face severe penalties including homicide through negligence, fraud, and forgery.
