The defendant doctor in the newborn gang case made chilling remarks: "You will kill him early, and the problem will be solved."

In Istanbul, the trial of 47 defendants, including Fırat Sarı and İlker Gönen, who caused the deaths of newborn babies by transferring them to contracted private hospitals' neonatal units for unjust profit and engaging in faulty behaviors, continues. On the eighth day of the hearing, the defenses of the defendants who are not in custody are being taken.

THE NEXT PHASE IN THE NEONATAL GANG CASE IS FOR THE DEFENDANTS NOT IN CUSTODY

Due to the insufficient capacity of the 22nd Heavy Criminal Court of Bakırköy, the hearing is being held in a conference hall. In the case involving 47 defendants, 22 of whom are in custody, the defenses of the defendants not in custody are being taken. While some of the defendants not in custody and their lawyers were present in the hall, some defendants participated in the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) from courthouses in their respective cities. The hearing started at 10:15 with the identification of the defendant Ceren Hatice Kırım, who is not in custody. The hearing, which was interrupted around 13:20, resumed around 14:30.

"I HAD 23 PATIENTS BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN 27"

Defendant Ceren Hatice Kırım stated: "I have been working as a neonatal intensive care nurse for about 12 years. The statements I made to the law enforcement and the prosecutor are the same and valid. I worked for a short period of 6 months at Reyap Hospital in 2022. Since 2023, I have been working as a nurse at Beylikdüzü Medilife Hospital. Before that, I worked at Bağcılar Şafak Hospital and then I left. When these events were reflected in the media, I was dismissed from my job. Hasan Basri Gök also worked as a nurse at Reyap Hospital. He said, 'Sir, the ministry came for inspection, they are checking everything,' indicating that there should be fewer patients, but I had too many. There were 23 patients, but it should have been 27. I have worked in neonatal intensive care for a long time and have seen a lot of inspections. These inspections were very detailed. They even checked the lung X-rays.

"WRITING EPICRISIS WAS NOT IN MY JOB DESCRIPTION"

My intention in saying 'They interfered with us' is that I have worked in many private hospitals for 12 years. I used this phrase because I did not want the hospital to suffer due to inspections and did not want to lose my job. I have no knowledge about retrieving files from the archive. There was a small fee sent to me from the Medisense company. As I said to the law enforcement, working in neonatology requires dedication, and I received compensation for that, but I did not question the source much. Medisense would pay separately as severance pay. We consulted İlker Gönen about patients, but I do not know if they signed anything. In the conversation with Hasan Basri, I said that I would not give the medication I would use on the patient, I would not take medication out of the hospital, and I am not procuring medication from İlker Gönen and Fırat Sarı. I said there is no organization involved. While giving my statement, I expressed that I did not want to benefit from these but would tell everything. Writing epicrisis is not in my job description, I do not know.

"I DID NOT QUESTION IT BECAUSE PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY IS IMPORTANT"

In response to the prosecutor's question, 'Why are you giving a phone to Fırat Sarı? According to your statements, you have no contact with Fırat Sarı, but you are giving a phone. What is the reason for giving it?' the defendant replied, "Children needed to be closely monitored in intensive care. It was necessary to closely monitor these children. He wanted it this way. I did not question it. Pediatric neurology is an important field, so this communication method seemed logical. The reason I was warned by the responsible nurse was that my files were incomplete; I love to take care of patients one-on-one, so I left the responsible nurse position," she said.

"WE WANTED TO HIRE A CONSULTANT REGARDING NEONATOLOGY"

The chief physician of Beylikdüzü Medilife Hospital, defendant Ahmet Atilla Yılmaz, also made a defense during the hearing. In his defense, Yılmaz stated, "It is not possible for me to accept the accusations. It is impossible for a person who has worked as a surgeon in the state for almost 20 years to defraud SGK. A chief physician does not have the concern of increasing the hospital's revenue. Thank God I am not being questioned over the deaths of babies in this indictment. As a father of four daughters, I am grateful that such an accusation has not been directed at me.

The thing that saddens me the most is the situation of healthcare workers and the perception of them. There is a greater moral responsibility between Beylikdüzü Medilife and Bağcılar Medilife hospitals. Beylikdüzü Medilife Hospital is a hospital that is well perceived in its region, with sufficient intensity in neonatal services, and includes important defendants. We have 7 pediatricians in our hospital, and there are 11 physicians on duty in the evening. Working in neonatology is not easy. It is not a long-term job. We wanted to hire a consultant regarding neonatology because I give my phone to almost every patient; it is important for both patients and physicians," he said.

In the continuation of his defense, Yılmaz stated, "The difference between Bağcılar and Beylikdüzü Medilife is that they are managed differently; we did not have an economic connection. Bağcılar is a separate group; their names are the same, but their boards of directors are very different. I generally conduct consultations and doctor meetings when I have time. My request from the board of directors was to hire a consultant with experience in neonatology so that we could benefit from their experiences; this is very difficult to do. I know Fırat Sarı and İlker Gönen. We used to talk about patient safety with İlker Gönen. What is important for me is patient safety. As far as I remember, I have said that neonatology is very important in a conversation with İlker Gönen," he said.

"I DO NOT HAVE FIRAT SARI'S PHONE NUMBER"

Defendant Ayşe Gizem Büyükgüneş stated in her defense, "Despite stating what I heard in my statements, it was written as 'I saw it.' I want it to be corrected. I worked as a nurse in the intensive care unit of the First Hospital. I was receiving a salary from the hospital. In conversations about the Opara baby, it was said that the baby was large. I do not know how much I was paid daily. I was only told to focus on my job. Doğukan took the baby. It was stated that the patient's general condition was quite good; he was only in an intubated state. He was stable throughout the night. Around 6 in the morning, my nurse friend Tuğçe Toptemel came, and we took care of the baby together. There was no problem.

Later, I saw that Tuğçe Toptemel noticed that the baby's monitor started beeping. The responsible nurse called Doğukan. This was my first job experience. I thought Doğukan would inform the doctor. However, the baby deteriorated. We made a notification. My duty was only to take care of the baby. I am still a 5-month-old nurse. Neither I nor Tuğçe is at fault. I do not have Fırat Sarı's phone number. Doctor Şehmuz was not on duty that night. I was later told by a friend that Mr. Şehmuz had come. Additionally, it was stated that the family needed to return 20 thousand liras," she said.

"I DID NOT SEE ANY CHILD DOCTOR AT NIGHT"

Büyükgüneş said, "My duty is to take care of and feed the patients, and I am already a 5-month-old nurse.

I took care of the baby and helped Tuğçe Toptemel. My salary is the minimum wage. I was working at night, but sometimes I witnessed events that happened during the day. Regarding the writing of the epicrisis, there were nurse observation notes in the past files. I don't know what an epicrisis means or how it is written. I have heard the name Fırat Sarı; I have seen him at most once and I have no conversation with him. I spoke once about the Opara baby. I also know Hakan Doğukan Taşcı; he was our area supervisor. I have no intention of calling anyone. I tell my night shift to Doğukan, and he calls. I saw Hasan Basri Gök a few times when he came to the area. I know Şehmuz Çelik; he didn't come to the hospital during the day, and I don't think he had anything to do with the patients. I never saw a pediatrician at night. When Doğukan was there, Doctor Şehmus Çelik would come less often. Only Şeyhmus Çelik was there as a pediatrician," he stated.

"WE HAVE NO MATERIALS TO INTUBATE AGAIN"

The defendant Büyükgüneş continued his defense by saying: "I did not see a doctor come to the hospital. When there was a problem at night, Tuğçe Toptemel was the one who took care of it. I don't know who looked after the Opara baby when he came, but I heard that Doğukan took him. I heard that Fırat Sarı was aware of the incident. Doctor Şehmus Çelik's stamp was used when doctor approval was needed; but I did not witness this situation. In response to the question from the court president, 'Everyone says I don't know. The nurse doesn't know, the doctor doesn't know, they say ask the chief physician. What kind of hospitals are these?' the defendant replied, 'I do not work in the First Area. As I said, I work at night, so I do not witness.'

At night, Fırat Sarı was being called; I did not see them come, but there was information that a patient was coming. I do not know how the Opara baby came and who accepted him, but I know that he generally came under the guidance of Fırat Sarı. Şehmuz Çelik rarely came to the hospital; when he did, he would stay for 1-2 hours and then leave the area. Most of the responsibility was passed on to Doğukan Taşçı. I have no testimony regarding the person who was supposed to do the work of Şeyhmus Çelik. In my statement, I said, 'We have no materials to intubate again' because newborn babies are lying down, and since the baby is large and intubated, if he pulls the tube, we have no other materials."

"DOĞUKAN TAŞCI HAS NEGLECTED HIS DUTY"

The defendant Şeyhmus Çelik, who is not in custody, stated in his defense, "I am a physician with 38 years of experience. I thank everyone who complained and contributed to the emergence of this incident. I have worked in state hospitals. I worked at Silivri Colon Hospital in 2020-2021. I worked at the First Hospital, and I do not accept the accusations against me. Doğukan Taşçı, who was assigned by Fırat Sarı, has neglected his duty. When I called and asked, 'Where are you?' he would say, 'I have work, I will come, do the rounds with another nurse.' Hasan Doğukan Taşçı has transferred babies he received from the 112 call center to other hospitals for a fee. Hospitals hide a doctor's salary; they do not give it when they go. I met Fırat Sarı while working at Esenyurt State Hospital. Fırat Sarı has never made regular payments to me. Despite my complaints about Hasan Doğukan Taşcı's work discipline issues to Fırat Sarı, he was allowed to continue working. Neither I nor the hospital I worked at benefited from the patients. Hasan Basri introduced himself as Doctor Şeyhmus," he said.

"BABY LEFT DESPITE NO PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY"

Çelik continued his defense, saying, "I have never been a member of any organization in my life, nor have I carried out any orders from an organization. I was present at my post during working hours. Every morning, I would go to the intensive care unit, have the necessary notes taken, and the responsible nurse would upload the notes to the system and present them to the doctor for stamping. The e-signature is used when sent from the hospital to the secretary. I have not done anything contrary to defraud anyone for the crime of qualified fraud. I have not prepared any fake documents in any hospital I worked at. When a patient is discharged, an epicrisis report is written. It is then reported to SGK. I have not done anything to defraud SGK or any other institution, nor have I prepared any false documents. Regarding the Kaya baby, I worked for 2 hours at Güney Hospital. My contract was terminated, and Doctor Rıza and Doctor Hilda came in my place. Doctor Tuğçe took care of the Kaya baby. They called me on the 15th and said that the management had made an agreement with Hilda. Doctor Hilda has a work record on the same date. The day after, the Kaya baby passed away. The ambulance driver told the nurse to write my name. Then they called me to give a statement. Despite knowing that there was no pediatric cardiology for the baby Serdarova, the ambulance driver Gıyasettin left the baby here for money. Money was taken from the Türkmen family. We learned these things; there was no conscience," he stated.

"YOU WILL KILL EARLY, THE PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED"

The defendant Çelik said, "I do not know who wrote the epicrises. I did not write the epicrisis; I do not have keyboard skills. Fırat Sarı and İlker Gönen said, 'No one should write; we will write.' There was a baby with a heart condition; he would die if he did not have surgery. However, no hospital accepted this baby because he had no money. He needed to continuously use medication intravenously. God bless the prosecutor. I heard Hakan Doğukan say to Fırat Sarı, 'Don't deal with this patient, it's a waste of time.' Doğukan Taşçı said, 'You will kill early, the problem will be solved.' The responsible nurse was the one who did not give the medications. Now I ask, who cut this medication, and why did they cut it? I am the responsible doctor there. I do not look after the newborn; another doctor does. I know Fırat Sarı. Unfortunately, I also know Hakan Doğukan Taşçı. I receive my salary from the hospital. In response to the court president's question, 'You said, I received money a few times,' the defendant replied, 'I received it, but I returned it.' In response to the court president's question about Doğukan, 'Şehmuz Çelik took a patient from 112,' the defendant replied, 'I have no knowledge; if I had, I would have intervened. I do not know that my number is in 112.'"

"I HEARD THAT THE MONEY WAS TAKEN, I SAID IT SHOULD BE RETURNED"

The non-custodial defendant Doctor Şeyhmus Çelik continued his defense, saying, "Fırat Sarı had no role in my employment. I do not know why Güney Hospital is working with another doctor. While a transfer was to be made from 112 to the hospital, I have no knowledge that Doğukan transferred to another hospital in my name. I did not give approval for the Opara baby to be admitted to the hospital. They took him in the evening. When I came to work in the morning, Doğukan greeted me at the door. Fırat Sarı said, 'There is a 6-month-old baby.' The hospital owner also said, 'He will be admitted,' and the baby was admitted. I told Doğukan about this, and he replied, 'Fırat Sarı said to take him.' I reported it after the baby died. The hospital owner Ali Aksu and Fırat Sarı said, 'I was the last to know.' Ali Aksu knew that the patient came in the evening and passed away in the morning. I told Ali Aksu, 'This patient was admitted without my knowledge.' The epicrises are written by nurses and secretaries. After the death of the Opara baby, I was not offered any money. In response to the prosecutor's question, 'You said you told them to return the 30 thousand lira taken. Is this true?' the defendant Çelik replied, 'I heard that the money was taken, and I said it should be returned.'"

"I did not go to the hospital during the Daytime Kaya Baby period on November 13-14. The reason I did not go is that I learned they would be consulting with another doctor," he said.