Died at the hospital where she went to have nasal polyps removed: 19-year-old pharmacy student

Heval Pekgöz, a 19-year-old pharmacy student at Marmara University in Istanbul, allegedly wanted to undergo surgery after she began experiencing difficulty breathing due to nasal polyps.

Pekgöz, who decided to have the surgery after being examined at Ersoy Hospital in the Maltepe district because it was close to her home, was first transferred to the same hospital's center in the Kurtköy district, then later to a state hospital, where she passed away.

Pekgöz's family has filed a criminal complaint, stating that there was negligence on the part of the hospital. The legal battle between the family and the hospital is ongoing.

CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE REQUESTED CAMERA FOOTAGE

Following the complaint, the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's Bureau of Investigation for Crimes by Public Officials launched an investigation. The prosecutor's office obtained camera footage from the hospital and requested authorization to investigate the doctors.

"THEY MADE US GO FROM HOSPITAL TO HOSPITAL"

Describing the process, her father Ferhat Pekgöz said, "My daughter had a problem with nasal polyps; she was experiencing snoring and difficulty breathing. We made an appointment at a state hospital in July and had her examined; it was concluded that she needed surgery. Later, because it was close to our home, we scheduled the surgery for Saturday, August 10, at this hospital in Maltepe. The necessary tests were done before the surgery, and we were told there was no problem.

When the day of the surgery arrived, they took her into surgery around 08:50 and told us we should wait. We had asked beforehand if the hospital had an intensive care unit, and they told us everything was complete and that we shouldn't worry. About an hour later, they called us to the chief physician's office and said her heart had stopped for 1 minute and was restarted with CPR, but that there was no problem and they just wanted to transfer her to their hospital in Kurtköy as a precaution.

When we went to that hospital, they took the patient into intensive care and reassured us. They told us our daughter had heart problems and that an angiogram was needed. We said, 'If it's necessary, do it,' but they said they couldn't do it and that they had opened a record for a state hospital and she would be transferred. After the transfer, the doctor said, 'Your daughter's heart has no problem, but there is damage to her brain,' and said she needed to be transferred to another hospital with an intensive care unit. The first hospital had told us her heart stopped once, but they gave us false and incorrect information; her heart stopped several times. Because her brain was without oxygen for a long time, she lost all her functions. Either they examined her late at this private hospital, or they didn't notice her heart had stopped. Or they didn't have the equipment. Because of their late and negligent attitude, my daughter passed away on August 30," he said.

"MY CHILD'S GRAVE AND HER SCHOOL ARE SIDE BY SIDE"

Her mother, Özlem Pekgöz, said, "I lost my daughter due to negligence. We were notified late, and she was not transferred to the hospitals we requested. They said there was intensive care, but it turned out there was no intensive care. They told me not to panic and kept saying there was nothing wrong and that they would discharge her.

They said my daughter had a heart problem and kept insisting on whether there was a genetic heart condition, but there was no such thing. When the angiogram was performed, it turned out there was no problem with her heart at all. Within 2 hours, our child changed 3 hospitals.

I dealt with the doctor, and I was told everything was available. We chose this hospital because it was close to our home. We took our child out of the hospital dead, even though she walked in happy and laughing. I want the authorities to be punished; I am filing a complaint against all of them. My child's grave and her school are side by side; when schools open, while everyone else sends their children to school, I will be going to my child's grave," she said.

News Source: İHA