A family's 8-year quest for justice after losing their baby: Newborn gang leader Fırat Sarı appears in the case file

NAGİHAN YILKIN /12punto.com.tr/ EXCLUSIVE

Arzu Başaran Başkıran, who worked as a pediatric nurse for 10 years, including in neonatal care, throughout her professional life, gave birth to a baby at 33 weeks and 5 days at a private hospital in Istanbul in 2016. Due to the premature birth, the baby experienced respiratory distress caused by underdeveloped lungs.

Başkıran, who is a nurse herself, stated that the medication called Sulfaktan, which should have been administered within the first two hours, was given 10 hours later.

“KEPT IN CONDITIONS NEAR SUFFOCATION”

Stating that her baby was kept in the neonatal intensive care unit under conditions near suffocation, mother Başkıran said, “While the carbon dioxide level determined by the Forensic Medicine Institute was 45, the level in my child reached 105. It becomes 2.5 times more dangerous. I saw my child's arm; at first, I thought it was caused by the tapes. I asked the nurse, 'Is it because of the IV line?' and the nurse said, 'Everywhere is bruised.'

When I approached the incubator, my child was bruised all over. I wanted to have the baby transferred, then I called the doctor. When the doctor said, 'I will do my best, don't worry,' I didn't have my baby transferred in that state. It became my biggest regret,” she said.

Stating that her child later contracted a hospital-acquired infection, the mother said, “The doctor went to a congress and the necessary treatments for my baby began. The baby went into a coma due to high infection. First, the baby experienced a brain hemorrhage. Even though my child developed a shock state, they were taken off life support. We tried to reach all the authorities we could. After that, they started treating my baby, but it was too late.”

“112 TOLD ME ‘WE HAD A CYBER ATTACK’”

Expressing that they later transferred their baby to a well-established private hospital but faced many difficulties during the transfer, the mother said, “The doctor told me that 112 (emergency services) was busy and therefore could not perform the transfer, and that we would go with the hospital's transport vehicle. However, in the documents I obtained later, I learned that the intensive care nurse who was in the transport vehicle did not have a certificate. When I requested an information record from the 112 service regarding them being busy that day, they said they had experienced a cyber attack and had no records. My complaint regarding 112 is still in the investigation stage. My baby was not fed for 16 days during this process; they were left hungry,” she said.

"IF THEY HAD DIED AT THAT HOSPITAL, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVE ANYTHING"

Describing what she went through after the transfer to the hospital, the mother said, “At the hospital we went to, the baby was examined separately by specialist doctors in their fields. The damage to all organs was revealed one by one. We learned that the kidney was rotting from the inside, advanced heart failure had developed, and an advanced brain hemorrhage had occurred. They did their best, but we had reached the final stage. A reservoir was placed in the brain, but because the body, which had failed, could not handle the surgery, we lost my baby on the 5th day of arrival at the hospital. If they had died at that hospital, I would not have been able to prove anything,” she said.

FORENSIC MEDICINE IGNORED THE AUTOPSY

Four months after her baby's death, the mother, who received the autopsy reports, was shocked once again after the report issued by the Forensic Medicine Institute. Although 'brain hemorrhage' was written in the autopsy report, the Forensic Medicine Institute concluded that there was 'no medical evidence that the baby died due to a traumatic effect,' despite the baby having brain tomography images, brain surgery records, and having undergone brain surgery.

The mother, who first complained to CİMER (Presidential Communication Center), later filed a criminal complaint against the hospital.

As a result of the investigation conducted by the Provincial Health Directorate, it was stated that "The hospital and the doctor are innocent."

Claiming that the first prosecutor handling the criminal case accepted unsigned documents as official documents, did not even take the statement of a single hospital official, and did not prepare an effective indictment, the mother also objected to the investigation of the Provincial Health Directorate.

Stating that it was determined by an inspector's report that some of the hospital's documents had been tampered with, that there were no doctor stamps or signatures under the ultrasounds, and that the doctor had used another doctor's stamp and signature, the mother said that they also used fake signatures on their behalf.

Stating that they filed a criminal complaint for forgery of official documents in 2017, the mother said, “Neither was a hospital official's statement taken, nor were documents requested.”

“MY BLOOD RAN COLD WHEN I SAW Fırat Sarı’S NAME”

Mother Başkıran, who said 'My blood ran cold' when she read the statement of newborn gang leader Fırat Sarı, spoke as follows: “Because they told us 'They won't take it seriously if you don't file a compensation lawsuit,' we also filed a compensation lawsuit. For 8 years, I thought they were all testifying for each other because of the belief that 'a doctor doesn't sell out another doctor.' But when I read his statement, my blood ran cold. In his statement, he says, 'I knew the doctor, we arranged the treatment together,' but I had never seen him before. Because they didn't work at the same hospital.”

“INCLUDE IT IN THE INVESTIGATION”

Expressing her concerns that the doctor who treated them might have 'learned the ropes' from Fırat Sarı when the newborn gang incident became a hot topic, the mother said, “My baby's 112 record had been deleted; I started to wonder if this man helped at that time. He testified as a witness. Was my baby's case also covered up by the same network? My baby's situation should also be examined; if there are connections, they should be investigated and included in the investigation,” she said.

Fırat Sarı: “WE DISCUSSED THE BABY’S TREATMENT PROCESS TOGETHER”

Newborn gang leader Fırat Sarı, in his witness statement given on February 24, 2021, at the Bakırköy 9th Consumer Court for his friend with whom he did not work at the same hospital, used the following expressions: “The defendant D. K. is my colleague. We met through mutual friends. We do not work at the same hospital. During the treatment process of the plaintiffs' child, Ms. D. consulted our thoughts with me and our other colleagues so that the child could regain their health. D... teacher is someone who is meticulous when treating her patients. My area of expertise is the same as D... teacher's. When we professionally discussed the examinations and treatments performed on the child during the treatment process regarding this child who passed away, I formed the opinion that there was no problem with them.”

‘I APPLIED TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT’

Stating that there are 20 case files in this process, the mother said 4 of them are in the investigation process. Stating that some files are continuing in the appellate court, the mother said there is nothing notified to me yet. Stating that she has lost hope in the judiciary in Turkey, mother Başkıran stated that she has applied to the International Criminal Court.