Turkey newborn death trial shows hospitals demanded costly surgery, baby died

A criminal trial in Istanbul is examining the deaths of ten newborns, including a Turkmen infant who died after public hospitals demanded hundreds of thousands of lira for a necessary surgery. The case, known as the "Yenidoğan Çetesi" (Newborn Gang) investigation, involves 62 defendants, ten of whom are in custody, and allegations that a doctor, identified as Fırat Sarı, coordinated the referral of the infant to a hospital that could not provide the surgery without payment.

New forensic reports issued by the Adli Tıp Kurumu (Forensic Medicine Institute) concluded that three of the infant deaths were preventable with timely treatment. The Turkmen baby, identified as Serdarova, was reported to emergency services on 15 September 2023, but hospitals responded that they could only perform the required heart operation for a fee. The family could not afford the cost, and the child died on 14 October 2023. The reports also note that despite multiple 112 emergency calls and coordination with several hospitals, no state authority intervened to secure the needed care.