ISTANBUL — A Turkish doctor accused of leading a fraudulent scheme linked to the deaths of ten newborns defended himself in an Istanbul court on Saturday, asserting that he is a “trusted” medical professional. Dr. Firat Sari is among 47 individuals facing trial for allegedly transferring infants to private hospitals’ neonatal units, where they were purportedly subjected to prolonged and often unnecessary treatments, enabling the collection of social security payments.
Dr. Sari claimed that patients were referred to him based on trust, asserting that he never engaged in bribery to accept patients from Turkey’s emergency medical services. Identified as the ringleader of this alleged operation, Sari managed neonatal intensive care units in several private hospitals throughout Istanbul and could face a sentence of up to 583 years in prison as the trial includes doctors, nurses, hospital management, and healthcare staff accused of prioritizing financial incentives over the welfare of their fragile patients.
The trial, which commenced last week, has elicited significant public indignation and demands for stricter regulation of the healthcare sector. Following these revelations, authorities have revoked licenses and closed down ten of the nineteen implicated hospitals.
“I am willing to disclose everything in order to clarify these events,” stated Sari, who is also the owner of Medisense Health Services. He expressed a deep passion for his profession, stating, “I love being a doctor.”
Although the defendants are charged with the negligent homicide of ten infants from January 2023 onwards, an investigative report referenced by a state media outlet indicated that their actions resulted in the deaths of “hundreds” of newborns over a longer timeframe. Reports reveal that over 350 families have approached prosecutors or governmental organizations to investigate the deaths of their children.
During the proceedings, prosecutors allege the defendants falsified medical reports, exaggerating the severity of the infants’ conditions to extract higher financial compensation from both the state and families. The main defendants have denied any malpractice, asserting that they acted in the best interest of the patients and are now being blamed for unavoidable misfortunes.
Sari faces multiple charges, including forming a criminal organization, defrauding public institutions, document forgery, and negligent homicide. Throughout the pre-trial questioning, Sari refuted claims regarding the lack of proper care for the newborns, understaffing in neonatal units, or inadequately qualified employees, as detailed in a comprehensive 1,400-page indictment. “Everything was conducted in accordance with protocols,” he stated to prosecutors.
Hearings held at the Bakirkoy courthouse on the European side of Istanbul have seen protests demanding the closure of private hospitals and accountability for the so-called “baby killers.” The case has also sparked calls for the resignation of Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu, who oversaw the Istanbul health department during the period when some of the deaths occurred. The leader of the primary opposition party, Ozgur Ozel, has called for the nationalization of the implicated hospitals.
In a recent interview, Memisoglu described the defendants as “bad apples” who had been removed from the system, while emphasizing the overall quality of Turkey’s healthcare system. He asserted, “This case represents a highly organized criminal faction and should not be used to judge our health system as a whole.” The minister has also contested the claim that he obstructed inquiries linked to these issues in 2016, branding it “a lie and slander.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that those accountable for the infant deaths would face strict penalties, although he cautioned against attributing all blame to the healthcare system as a whole, affirming, “We cannot allow our healthcare community to be tarnished due to a few corrupt individuals.”
