A family that experienced the terror caused by gang leader Fırat Sarı has spoken out: "I can't forget the screams of the babies."

The families victimized by the 'Newborn Gang' that has taken over Turkey's agenda are trying to make their voices heard one by one. A couple who gave birth at Reyap Hospital, one of the hospitals mentioned in the investigation in 2020, shared their terrifying experiences.

THE BABY IN INTENSIVE CARE GOT WORSE

Neslihan Ünlü P. and Serdar P., a couple living in Istanbul, applied to Özel Reyap Istanbul Hospital for childbirth in 2020. On June 22, 2020, Neslihan Ünlü P. gave birth to a baby boy via cesarean section and named him P. E. P. After the birth, the baby was taken to intensive care due to rapid breathing and was told he would be discharged two days later. On the specified day, the family was informed that their baby's breathing had not improved and that he would need to stay in intensive care a little longer. After a week, the baby, whose infection level was found to be high in blood tests, stayed in intensive care for another week. After this period, the family was informed during ultrasound scans at the hospital that there was a clot in the baby's liver and that he needed to see a pediatric gastroenterologist.

THEY WENT TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL

After taking their baby from the hospital, Neslihan Ünlü P. and Serdar P. were shocked by the response they received when they went to the gastroenterology department of two different private hospitals. They were told that they were late for the procedures, that there were blockages in all of the baby's veins, and that this situation was not genetic. When the couple returned to Reyap Hospital, the hospital officials apologized. According to the family, the hospital management allegedly said, 'You signed that you accepted such complications; you can file a complaint.' The family, taking their baby with them, wrote complaint letters about the hospital through the internet and various media.

"IT WAS DURING THE PANDEMIC, THEY WERE NOT SHOWING US"

Neslihan Ünlü P., who currently lives in Antalya with her husband and son, stated that she could not work due to her son's condition and said:

"From the outside, Reyap Hospital in Istanbul looks like a very good hospital. It is very clean inside. The doctors' comments are very good. Based on this, I chose that hospital and gave birth there. My obstetrician said that when the birth was completed, it was a very healthy child. They put him in my arms for 4-5 seconds. Then they took my child away. When they went to the dressing room, they called my wife. A female nurse listened to his breath. She said, 'There is a problem with his breath; let's keep him in intensive care for a few days as a precaution.' My wife accepted. Later, when they took me to the room, two nurses came. They said, 'There is nothing very serious. We will keep him in intensive care for two days.' When my discharge time came, we asked about our child. We were told he needed to stay for two more days. We went home empty-handed. It was during the pandemic; they were not showing us. We asked our obstetrician. We requested at least one photo every day. During those four days, we received one photo. When I asked, 'Why don't you send photos on other days?' they said, 'It was forbidden.'

"NURSES WITHOUT MASKS, WITHOUT GLOVES, WITH TEA AND COFFEE IN THEIR HANDS"

On the seventh day, we were called by a nurse. 'He will be discharged; we will do a blood test, and you can go home,' they said. When the blood test was done, this time a high infection was found. 'We cannot send him like this. He may be in life-threatening danger. He will stay a few more days, at least until the infection goes down,' they said. When we asked, 'What caused the infection?' they admitted it was from the hospital. We want to see him, but they are not showing us. Nurses are entering and exiting without masks, without gloves, holding teas and coffees.

"DR. FIRAT SARI ADMITTED HIS MISTAKE"

Neslihan Ünlü P. noted that when the intensive care doors opened, they could hear the screams of children from inside:

"The cries of those children never stop. When the door opens, there are so many babies there that we cannot even count them. When the doors open, it is a cacophony of screams. Very intense crying sounds. But probably to drown out those sounds, louder music is played. Nurses are laughing, having fun, and chatting among themselves. Our discharge day came, probably the 15th or 16th day. They said, 'Let's do one last check.' They said, 'Let's do an ultrasound, a tomography, and check the internal organs.' This time, there was a clot in the liver. When we asked, 'What caused it?' they said, 'It could be genetic or it could be due to the catheter we placed in the belly.' They said, 'Come back in a week; it may open up on its own.' A week later, we went back, and it had gotten worse. If one vein is blocked, all the veins that feed the liver have become blocked. Doctor Firat Sari said, 'I will call a friend.' He called, 'Should I give the baby medication?' he asked. He must have said no because he said, 'Okay, I am sending him home.' He sent us home. 'Come back in a month,' he said. We started to get angry. There was no detailed explanation. I immediately went to the pediatrician in that building. He said, 'Immediate intervention is needed,' and referred us to another hospital. We went there, and they told us, 'You are very late; all the veins are blocked. A disease called chronic hypertension has developed.' Those two hospitals wanted genetic tests to be sure. 'So it may have developed in the womb,' they said. Genetic tests were done. Nothing came out. A council was convened, and it was determined that it was due to the catheter. We went back to the hospital. We called Firat Sari. We explained the situation, saying, 'It is too late,' and he apologized. 'I am sorry. When I placed the catheter in your baby's belly, I must have touched his liver. I caused a clot. You will have to get used to living with this. There is still no treatment for it.'

Neslihan Ünlü P. emphasized that her child's spleen is enlarged and that the veins feeding the liver are blocked, saying, "In the varicose vein, we can have dangerous varicose veins that we call varices. These veins can burst and cause bleeding. It can also spread to other organs like the stomach and intestines. So it is a very long process. We still do not have a definitive treatment. We are doing everything we can for him to get better. Our routine check-ups are still ongoing," she said.

"I SAW FIRAT SARI ON TV"

Neslihan Ünlü P. stated that she saw Firat Sari on TV in news reports about the Newborn Gang, saying, "I was slowly starting to accept it, at least I was starting to spend quality time with my son. I had learned not to let this disease bother me and not to poison my life, but then I saw these news reports. At first, I didn't recognize him because he was handcuffed, with his head down. The names of the hospitals were announced, and a photo of him in uniform appeared before me. At that moment, I recognized Firat Sari. To be sure, I went online. When I saw his photo without hair transplant, I realized he was our doctor. Then I started to investigate. I saw families who had lost their children in intensive care at that hospital in 2020. I saw families whose babies were discharged with disabilities. The pandemic period was very suitable for these things to happen. After all, we cannot see our children. What are they doing inside? Are they giving medication, or are they torturing them? We do not know," she said.

"WE WILL FILE A LAWSUIT BUT LET EVERYONE HEAR OUR VOICE"

Neslihan Ünlü P. stated that when she wanted to file a lawsuit, they requested the documents they signed from the hospital, saying, "They didn't give it to me on paper. 'You can file a lawsuit, but there are about 15-20 pages of intensive care admission papers signed by your spouse. All possible complications are written here, and you have approved it, you have accepted it. There is nothing you can do. If you want, you can go to court right away. Nothing will come of this,' they said. I want someone to be with me and those like me. This is not a situation we can fight alone. We will file a lawsuit, of course, but let everyone hear our voice, let everyone help us," she said.