29.03.2025 09:30
H.Y., who was arrested for allegedly "bargaining over the price" with a patient during an emergency intervention at a private healthcare institution in Istanbul, has been charged with "fraud by exploiting the dangerous situation or difficult conditions the person is in." H.Y. faces a prison sentence of 3 to 10 years.
In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that an investigation was initiated following reports in the media regarding footage showing price negotiations concerning the procedure and materials to be used during an emergency intervention on a patient at a private hospital in Bahçelievler.
In the indictment, the complainant H.E. stated that he went to Gaziosmanpaşa Hospital, which is an annex of Taksim Training and Research Hospital, on January 13 due to severe chest pain, was referred to a Private Family Hospital from there, and was admitted to the intensive care unit at the hospital.
"THEY ASKED FOR 7 THOUSAND LIRA"
The complainant H.E. stated that the doctor who attended to him said that he needed an angiography and that he was taken for the angiography the next morning. He noted: "During the procedure, they said they would place 3 stents, and there was a discussion about whether the procedure would be done from the arm or the groin. It was decided to proceed from the arm. They asked me for 7 thousand lira, saying there was a price difference for entering from the arm. This money was requested by the defendant H.Y. Then, I was informed about the prices of the stents. I requested that the stents covered by the state be used. Upon this, the doctor O.P. who attended to me said, '2 stents will be placed.' After the procedures were completed, I stayed in the intensive care room. On January 15, I went to the accounting department and spoke with the defendant H.Y. I told him that they had taken unjust payments from me."
ALLEGATION OF 2 STENTS INSTEAD OF 3
In the indictment, it was reported that the complainant H.E. filed a complaint against the defendant H.Y., who unjustly took payments from him for the procedures, the doctor O.P. who placed 2 stents instead of 3, and the staff who referred him from the first hospital he went to.
DEFENDANT DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS
In the indictment, the defendant H.Y., whose statement was included, stated that he did not work as an accountant at the hospital and that he was responsible for explaining the treatment to patients and their relatives in detail. H.Y. claimed that he had previously informed the complainant on the day of the incident, and that the doctor decided how many stents would be placed during the angiography procedure, and he was waiting in front of a semi-sterile area. After the decision was made to place stents, he stated that he began to provide information again at the patient's request, and that he had to enter that area because the patient called him, and he provided information about the free institutional stents covered by the Social Security Institution (SGK), which were not included in the footage, and that the patient later chose the free institutional stent, denying the allegations.
INVESTIGATION INTO THE DOCTOR CONTINUES
In the indictment, it was stated that a different investigation procedure was foreseen for the doctor O.P. who placed the stents and the healthcare personnel who referred the complainant to this hospital due to malpractice complaints, and that the documents regarding these individuals were separated for separate investigations. It was noted in the indictment that all treatment documents related to the incident involving the complainant were examined, and it was found that H.E. was urgently referred from Gaziosmanpaşa Training and Research Hospital to the private healthcare institution.
"ADDITIONAL FEES ARE AGAINST REGULATIONS"
In the indictment, it was stated that in order to clarify the conditions under which additional fees cannot be charged from patients, a letter was sent to the Provincial Directorate of Social Security, and in the response received, it was stated that "According to the provisions of the Health Implementation Communiqué, it is against our institution's regulations to charge any additional fees based on the costs of medical materials and drugs from patients undergoing inpatient treatment."
"THE 7 THOUSAND TL FEE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED"
In the indictment, it was emphasized that the additional fee of 7 thousand lira charged to the complainant for the angiography procedure performed from the arm was an unlawful fee that should not have been collected. It was recorded in the indictment that the complainant was in a weak state of will under the difficult conditions while waiting for the procedure to be performed on the stretcher during the angiography procedure at the hospital where he was urgently referred and admitted to the intensive care unit.
"FRAUDULENT ACT OCCURRED"
"It has been understood that at a time when there was no possibility of supervision and control, the defendant contacted the complainant, stating that the angiography procedure to be performed from the arm would be healthier and that there was a price difference, and requested a fee that should not have been requested according to regulations, resulting in the collection of 7 thousand lira from the complainant for a healthcare service that was supposed to be provided free of charge, thus committing the act of 'fraud by taking advantage of the dangerous situation or difficult conditions in which the person finds themselves.'