Türkiye on Tuesday refuted what it called disinformation and manipulation in an article from German news website Der Spiegel on the “Newborn Gang” scandal, which involved a group of doctors and nurses that caused the deaths of at least 10 newborns.
The article, titled “Erdoğan’s problem with the ‘newborn mafia,’” targets public institutions that exposed and busted the "Newborn Gang," the Health Ministry said in a statement released in German.
The health care scandal, one of the biggest in Türkiye’s modern history, rocked the nation when it broke out last year. A total of 47 defendants were indicted over inappropriate treatment of babies for profit, while the Health Ministry shut down nine private hospitals as a result of the investigation, with a total of 19 health institutions deemed to bear responsibility.
The suspects, whose trial continues in Istanbul, are accused of creating a criminal group to put newborns in certain private hospitals and receive payments from Türkiye's social security body for inappropriate and sometimes fake treatments, according to the indictment.
The Der Spiegel article claims members of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government profited from the system.
The ministry said the article attempts to connect the "Newborn Gang" to the government without mentioning the relationship between the suspects in custody and the political opposition.
“And concealing this matter shows it is a manipulative article,” it said.
The statement identifies several defendants in the case as being members of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), a CHP-run municipal council, and the health care and infectious diseases commission of the CHP-run Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). It also says one of the gang members belonged to Good Party (IP) in 2022-23.
“The article only tries to tie the gang to the administration without mentioning these connections,” the ministry said.
The ministry also refuted the data shared by Der Spiegel about the health institutions in Istanbul, which claims 164 of 234 hospitals in the city belong to the private sector. Istanbul has 238 hospitals, and 144 are privately run.
“By comparing the number of public and private hospitals, Der Spiegel deceives its readership,” it said.
The claim that current Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu when he served as provincial health director, along with former Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, was in charge of the inspection of clinics is disinformation, the ministry said, adding that the pair served in their respective posts in different periods.
