Another newborn baby scandal in Ümraniye, Istanbul: One week before birth...

In Ümraniye, Istanbul, Dilan Korkmaz, who was one week away from her due date, went to the emergency room of a private hospital she preferred for her routine check-ups along with her husband, Serhat Korkmaz, after her labor pains increased.

Allegedly, after examining Dilan Korkmaz, the doctor on duty in the emergency room stated that there was no condition that would put her pregnancy at risk and directed the expectant mother to the internal medicine department.

The doctor in the internal medicine department administered an IV drip to Korkmaz and discharged her on the same day. Returning to the hospital the next morning with severe pain and bleeding, the couple, Dilan and Serhat Korkmaz, learned that their baby's heart had stopped in the womb. The mother was taken for emergency surgery. While the mother, whose heart stopped during the operation, was resuscitated through medical intervention, the baby, whom the family had named 'Aslan', could not be saved.

Hoping for good news after a long surgery, the father, Serhat Korkmaz, said in tears, "While we were waiting for good news from inside, 3 hours later I learned that my wife had suffered severe blood loss, her heart had stopped, they had resuscitated her with CPR, and that my child had passed away."

'MY CHILD DIED AS A RESULT OF NEGLIGENCE'

Describing what they went through, father Serhat Korkmaz said, "They killed my child. My child died as a result of negligence. Yesterday, we came to a private hospital for our routine check-ups. Our checks were done, and our child's heartbeat was normal. They discharged us saying everything was fine. We had no problems at all. In the evening, my wife's pains started. We came back to the hospital around 23:00. We said that my wife had severe pain and could not stand upright. When we arrived at the emergency room, the doctor on duty was someone other than the doctor who performs our check-ups. He tried to examine my wife by hand. Afterwards, he said there was no problem related to the birth and that my wife had caught a cold. He said we should go to internal medicine, not the maternity ward. We went to the internal medicine doctor. While going there, he did not perform any information gathering or examination by connecting her to devices like an ultrasound or NST. He just directed us to the internal medicine department, calling it a normal cold. Moreover, my wife was 1 week away from her due date. She was going to give birth next week. Up until this process, we had done all our check-ups at this hospital and my wife had no problems at all," he stated.

Father Korkmaz said, "When we went to the internal medicine doctor, he asked my wife if she was pregnant. When my wife said she was pregnant, he said, 'What are you doing here, you need to go to the maternity ward.' Because she had very severe pain and aches. We said we came from the maternity ward and that the doctor on duty had referred us to the internal medicine department. They took us to a room. They gave her two IV drips. During this process, my wife's pain never subsided and continued. He only wrote the prescription and referred us upstairs. When I asked the nurse on duty what we could do about my wife's continuing pain, they said the medication would take effect in a few hours and there was nothing they could do. When the IVs were finished, they discharged us. Towards morning, my wife said her pains were continuing and she was bleeding. We rushed back to the hospital. We encountered our own doctor who performs our normal check-ups. He took her to the room as an emergency and said, 'Oh no.' After putting her on the device, he told me the child's heart had stopped. He asked why we hadn't come sooner. I said we were here at night and the doctor on duty in the emergency room had directed us to internal medicine. Reacting by saying 'How can that be?', he said we needed to take her to the maternity ward immediately and that the child's heart had stopped. For 2.5-3 hours, we were not given any feedback regarding the result. They kept stalling us. While we were waiting for good news from inside, 3 hours later I learned that my wife had suffered severe blood loss, her heart had stopped, they had resuscitated her with CPR, and that my child had passed away," he said.

'MY CHILD WAS GOING TO BE BORN IN 1 WEEK'

Claiming that the necessary follow-up was not performed and that his baby died because of this, Serhat Korkmaz said, "My child died, my child died because of this hospital. My child was going to be born in 1 week. We cannot find anyone to talk to. If the doctor on duty had taken us for an NST or ultrasound instead of directing us to the internal medicine department when we came last night, my child would not have died. The reason for my child's death is the unserious, indifferent, and inattentive behavior of the hospital management and doctors. What does it mean to direct a woman who is one week away from her due date to internal medicine? I received the news of my child's death in the morning. My child died due to indifference, lack of concern, and negligence. We came to the hospital while she had pain and suffering. They sent us away saying she was safe and sound," he expressed.

Grandmother Gülşen Korkmaz said, "They caused our baby's death. We will be receiving the baby's funeral instead of holding him in our arms in a week. While we are experiencing this pain, they are still worried about money. Those who caused my child's death should be held accountable," she said.

'WE FILED A COMPLAINT, THE PROSECUTOR CAME'

Stating that their doctor who performs the routine check-ups also accepted the allegation of negligence, uncle Faruk Varlı said, "I spoke one-on-one with the doctor who performs her normal routine check-ups. What the doctor told me was, 'There is negligence here. It is clear as day. Go and file a complaint against the doctor on duty. There are camera recordings and everything. Focus on this,' he told us. We filed a complaint. Today, the prosecutor came and examined the scene," he said.

While the family filed a complaint, it was learned that an investigation had been initiated by the prosecutor's office. While police took security measures around the hospital, the large number of complaints recorded regarding the hospital's maternity unit drew attention.