Family that lost 3 babies devastated once again following newborn gang investigation

Hamide Okutucu, who lives in the Gebze district of Kocaeli, went to the Private Gebze Yüzyıl Hospital on May 23, 2023. Okutucu, who had a premature birth, gave birth to quadruplets. Due to the premature birth, the babies were placed in incubators. Two days after the birth, the family received the news that one of the babies had passed away. A few days later, their second and third babies also lost their lives. It is alleged that the doctor told the family that the babies had an infection and that it was hereditary. The family began waiting desperately for their 4th baby, Cemre, to survive. Seeing that her baby's condition was worsening and that there were burns on her body, the mother and father, the Okutucus, conducted research on the hospital and the doctor.

BABY CEMRE WAS DEVASTATED IN THE HOSPITAL

Baby Cemre, who was intubated for 3 months, was transferred from the Private Gebze Yüzyıl Hospital to the Medilife Bağcılar Hospital via 112. The baby, who was also placed in an incubator there, lost 100 percent of her vision in her left eye, and her body weakened due to the medication given, damaging her ability to walk and move. Stating that there were burn marks on their baby's body and that her bones were visible, the family launched a legal battle last year to ensure those responsible were punished.

The family, who laid 3 of their babies to rest, was devastated once again after hearing the news about the newborn gang that caused the deaths of babies by keeping them in intensive care to collect 8 thousand liras per day from the Social Security Institution (SGK). Recalling the painful days they experienced, the couple submitted a petition through their lawyer to be included in the file opened regarding the newborn gang.

FATHER: "MY CHILD LOST AN EYE AT MEDILIFE HOSPITAL"

Explaining that they voiced their grievances last year through the İhlas News Agency (İHA) but could not make their voices heard, Akın Okutucu said, "We interviewed with you a year ago and brought this incident to light, but no one heard our voice. If someone had heard our voice during that process, perhaps these things would not have happened to other families. Unfortunately, our voice was not heard. I lost 3 of my babies at Gebze Yüzyıl Hospital. I wanted to take my fourth child, Cemre, out of there as well. A doctor named Muhammet told me that I would establish contact with 112 and that we would be notified with his approval. When I contacted 112, they recommended the hospital of one of the leaders of the newborn gang. We didn't know this. It was the Private Medilife Hospital. Unfortunately, my child lost an eye there. Our doctor in Çapa saved her other eye. Thank God, he did everything for my daughter. I believe that Gebze Yüzyıl Hospital, 112, and Medilife Hospital worked together."

"WHY WAS MEDILIFE PREFERRED WHEN THERE ARE A THOUSAND HOSPITALS?"

Stating that he buried 3 of his babies and that the other one suffered a lot, Akın Okutucu said, "We brought these up a year ago with the news we made with the İhlas News Agency. If precautions had been taken then, perhaps none of this would have happened. Private Yüzyıl Hospital referred us there. Our President has opened many hospitals for service. Why was Medilife preferred when there are a thousand hospitals? This is a network. I want all of them to receive the heaviest punishment."

MOTHER: "PERHAPS IF THEY HAD TAKEN US SERIOUSLY, THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO MANY DEATHS"

Saying that they suffered a lot, Hamide Okutucu said, "Last year, we tried to make our voice heard with the İhlas News Agency. Thank God, they were always by our side. We tried to make our voice heard with them. No one listened to us, we were not taken seriously. Perhaps if they had taken us seriously, there would not have been so many deaths. We just wanted the doctors who treated patients this way in the hospital to be punished. It is very bad for other families to experience this too. I buried 3 of my children. My husband and I still haven't fully recovered. I hope everything will come to light. No mother will bury her child. I hope their hearts will not ache, and their children will sleep in their arms. That's all I want."

"THEY DESTROYED MY DAUGHTER'S LIFE"

Describing what they went through, Hamide Okutucu continued her words as follows:

"We wanted to take our baby Cemre from Gebze Yüzyıl Hospital. When the doctor wouldn't release her, we applied to 112. Doctor Muhammet called and said, 'They want your child at Medilife Bağcılar Hospital, if you accept, we will send her.' We said, 'Wherever it is, we lost 3 of our children. We want to take our daughter out of that hospital.' We went to Medilife Hospital. My daughter's eye could see, but because of the negligence there, our baby Cemre went blind. One eye cannot see. The Ministry of Health made a statement. It was stated that these hospitals had been monitored for about 1-1.5 years. We made the news 1 year ago. If those hospitals were under surveillance, why was my daughter referred to Medilife Bağcılar Hospital? They destroyed my daughter's life. My daughter cannot walk or sit right now. Because she stayed in an incubator for 4 months and due to the medication given, her body remained weak. She is currently undergoing physical therapy. They also burned my daughter's arm. Let someone say 'Stop' to this now. Let mothers and fathers not suffer."

"CRYING IS GOOD, SHE IS REACTING TO THE MEDICINE"

Feeling the pain of the babies inside, Okutucu said, "They give medicine to babies for money and put them to sleep. There is no torture they don't commit in the incubators. When I watch this news on television, the first thing that comes to my mind is my baby Erdal. For example, when nurse Çağla says 'She is bellowing like an animal' when the baby cries because she is in pain. My baby Erdal was crying a lot 1 day before he died at Gebze Yüzyıl Hospital. When I told the doctor, 'My baby is crying a lot, I can't bear it,' he told me, 'Crying is good, she is reacting to the medicine.' The child was crying because she was in pain. There cannot be such a lack of conscience. After I took my baby Cemre out of there, other babies died too. I couldn't make my voice heard. I think this hospital is also part of this organization. There are many hospitals from Darıca to Bağcılar. I want it to be investigated. They tortured my 4 children, let them pay the price, let the hospital be closed."

LAWYER BUDAK: "WE ALSO HAVE GRIEVANCES REGARDING THE FILE THAT IS ON THE AGENDA AS THE NEWBORN GANG"

Explaining the process, Lawyer Tayfun Budak said, "There have been serious developments since last year, but there is no development at the Ministry level. The Ministry did not respond to the complaint we filed with the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. We wrote reminder letters. But there is still no answer given at the moment. We also have grievances regarding the file that is on the agenda as the newborn gang. Our baby Cemre was subjected to negligence in the hands of this gang. For this reason, her left eye cannot see. It is seen in the evaluation made in the indictment and in the conversations between the individuals that baby Cemre was subjected to negligence and lost her eye. We will send our petition stating that we are victims in that file. In return, we will be there too and we will demand our rights. We want the defendants to be punished, to receive the heaviest sentence, and for the hospitals to be closed."

News Source: 12punto