Patient dies in ICU, family learns it by chance: 'Your father apparently died...'

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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A private hospital in Turkey's Aegean province of İzmir did not inform the family of a patient of his passing.

The incident happened at the Medicana International İzmir Hospital. Süleyman Fazlılar, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), was hospitalized on June 23 because he was having difficulty breathing. The 71-year-old patient was taken to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Treated there for three days, Fazlılar lost his life on June 26 at 8:15 a.m. However, the family learned of his passing 'by chance' a day later when they went to the hospital to get information about his condition.

Süleyman Fazlılar's daughter Yasemin Fazlılar Akgör has spoken to bianet about the incident and what they have been going through.

'We left two phone numbers at the ICU'

Fazlılar Akgör has indicated that her father was treated as an inpatient at the same hospital for 10 days in June.

Shortly after he was discharged from the hospital, he had difficulty breathing in the morning on June 23. So, they called an ambulance:

"Paramedics regulated the oxygen levels and said that there was no need to take him to the hospital. As the oxygen levels were back to normal, we stayed home. But his condition got worse again in the evening. We took him to the hospital and he was taken to the ICU.

"We went to the İzmir Medicana Hospital because that was where my father was being treated. The physician at the ICU asked me about the chronic illnesses of my father and asked for the phone numbers of two people from the family. We gave them the numbers of my mother and uncle.

"We went to the hospital again the next day. We met my father. They told us that we could not see him for the next two days, Saturday and Sunday. They said to us, 'If you do not hear from us, be happy about it.'

"They even told us that 'we could come on Monday, get information from the doctor and see my father for 10 minutes'."

'Your father apparently died yesterday'

According to what Fazlılar Akgör has told bianet, the family went to the hospital on June 27 Monday within the visitation time, waited for a long time at the hall of the ICU and the name of her father was not read out even though the relatives of all other patients had left:

"It was only us who remained there. We asked why our name was not read out. They told us to go out. We went inside again. The doctor said, 'I don't know how to say this, but your father has apparently died.'

"We didn't know how to react. We asked, 'When?' The doctor said, 'He died yesterday, but they could not contact you.' We lost my father a day before and we learned about this when we went to the hospital. We were on alert, waiting for a phone call, and there was no one calling. But the defense made by the hospital was 'We called you but we could not reach you'."

'We could not grieve for him'

"We could not grieve for him because of the trauma that we have suffered," Fazlılar Akgör has said, concluding her remarks as follows:

"The phone number of my father was in the death certificate. The numbers of my mother or uncle were not there. But we gave them those numbers. We learned about it by chance one and a half days later. What we have been suffering is an inexplicable sorrow.

"Moreover, this hospital is known as the best hospital of İzmir and such an incident happens at the best hospital of İzmir. We have applied to the Presidency's Communication Center (CİMER). We will also take it to court. There must be some repercussions for this irresponsibility."

Hospital: We called them once

Having spoken to Fazlılar Akgör, we have also contacted an executive of the İzmir Medicana Hospital to ask about the allegations. The executive has said that Süleyman Fazlılar lost his life on Sunday at 8:15 a.m and they could not reach the family when they called them at 08:52 a.m.

When we asked, "Was there another call or an attempt on your part to reach the family," the executive answered that they had called only once and there had been no other call to inform the family.

The executive has also said that there are records showing that the patient's relatives were called and could send the records; however, no phone records have been sent so far. (RT/SD)