14.10.2025 14:42
Ivanka Yordanova, a liver cancer patient living in Bulgaria, was operated on for 47,000 euros at a private hospital in Istanbul by General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. S.Y., whom she found on social media. The mother of two passed away after a 13-hour surgery. The woman's body was handed over after documents were signed, stating that 25,000 euros left by the family would be paid.
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Ivanka Yordanova, who lived in Bulgaria and underwent treatment for liver cancer for 1 year, allegedly called General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. S. Y. after seeing an advertisement on social media and requested an appointment. Accompanied by her husband Kaloyan Mihaylov (46), Yordanova went for a consultation with her previous test results. Prof. Dr. S. Y. informed her that she would first undergo medication treatment, and then surgery would be performed 3 months later.
Yordanova, who accepted the treatment, was asked to pay 20,000 euros for the medication treatment and 35,000 euros for the surgery. In April, medication treatment began for 20,000 euros, while the doctor informed that prices would increase, and therefore the surgery needed to be performed immediately, raising the surgery fee by an additional 12,000 euros to 47,000 euros (approximately 2 million 270 thousand TL). After Yordanova stated that she could not pay this amount in one go, the payment was arranged in installments.
THEY DID NOT HAND OVER THE BODY WITHOUT A PAYMENT GUARANTEE After the medication treatment applied for 20,000 euros, Ivanka Yordanova was operated on for 47,000 euros at a private hospital in Istanbul on July 29. The family made a payment of 22,000 euros before the surgery, but the mother of two passed away the same day in the intensive care unit after a 13-hour surgery. Allegedly, despite the family's request, an autopsy was not performed. The body was handed over after documents were signed, assuring that the remaining 25,000 euros would be paid. Yordanova was buried in Bulgaria.
General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. S. Y. (Left) and Liver cancer patient Ivanka Yordanova (47) (Right) THE FAMILY FILED A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT After the burial procedures, the family filed a criminal complaint. Lawyer Şermin Tankut stated that Prof. Dr. S. Y. shared a photo taken with Ivanka Yordanova on social media for advertising and that Yordanova's son was forced to sign documents assuring the payment of the remaining amount to receive the body. She claimed that incorrect medication treatment might have been applied.
"THE DOCTOR WAS WALKING IN THE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR DURING THE SURGERY" Tankut alleged that Prof. Dr. S. Y., who performed the surgery, was seen walking casually in the hospital corridor during the operation, and said:
"On the day of the surgery, her husband is waiting at the operating room door. In the fourth hour of the surgery, the doctor who was supposed to perform the operation is seen walking casually in the hospital corridor. My client follows him and goes down to the cafeteria. He asks the doctor how the surgery is going. The doctor says everything is fine, the surgery is going well, and he is waiting for a surgical knife from another hospital to prevent bleeding. He even shows how his wife is on the operating table. They say the surgery is finished around 8:00 PM. Of course, until this time, my client sees the doctor 2-3 times in the hospital corridor casually. After my client’s husband comes out of the operating room, they take her to intensive care. While my client is waiting in front of the intensive care unit, he sees a commotion and asks about his wife's condition. The doctor in the intensive care unit says there is severe bleeding and says, 'Anything can happen, be prepared.' They tell him around 3:00 AM that his wife has died. My client calls his wife's children. Their sons also set off towards Istanbul. After arriving in Istanbul, they are delayed in receiving the body. They are pressured about when they will pay the remaining money. They delay for a whole day. They say they cannot hand over the body without payment. Of course, let’s also note that there is no contract regarding the surgery fee between them. When they went back to the hospital the next day, they said the documents were not ready again. In the end, they send a location to the child. This location is the office of the doctor who performed the surgery. He goes there. They force him to sign documents, saying that they need to pay this money somehow. After signing the documents, they take the body and go to Bulgaria for burial."
The husband of the deceased woman, Kaloyan Mihaylov (Left) and Lawyer Şermin Tankut (Right) "MAYBE AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT WAS PERFORMED" Lawyer Tankut stated that the death certificate issued to the family stated 'natural death' and expressed their suspicion that Ivanka Yordanova's organs might have been stolen, emphasizing that no autopsy was performed, and said:
"The death certificate states 'natural death.' No autopsy was performed. The body is handed over in that condition. After this process, my client is curious about what happened to his wife. He wonders what happened in that hospital, who performed the surgery. He is curious about what happened during the surgery, how they can write 'natural death' in the report. After being taken to intensive care, while my client is trying to reach the doctor, he recounts what the doctor in the intensive care unit said. The doctor says that the staff in the intensive care unit always talks like this, that the incident is out of his hands, that the surgery went well, and that the responsibility now lies with the staff in the intensive care unit. After determining that no autopsy was performed, we filed a criminal complaint. While preparing to file a complaint, a document arrived without a signature or stamp. An English-written document regarding the cause of death. An investigation has been initiated regarding the matter. At the same time, the family in Bulgaria also applied to the prosecutor's office for an autopsy. Anything could have happened. Maybe an organ transplant was performed. Maybe there was a mistake. How did a surgery entered with so many promises end up like this? We are waiting for our application for an autopsy to be accepted as soon as possible, and for permission to be granted by the Ministry of Health."
"DID THE DOCTOR WE AGREED WITH PERFORM MY WIFE'S SURGERY?" Kaloyan Mihaylov, who wants to clarify the circumstances of his wife's death, said, "In all our discussions, my wife's recovery was the subject. Another question I am curious about is, did the doctor we agreed with perform my wife's surgery? Because I saw him several times in civilian clothes at the hospital that same day. Why did the hospital not perform the necessary procedures? If the doctor is a guest at that hospital, why did the hospital not perform the necessary autopsy? Since the first day we were admitted to the hospital, I want to learn the whole truth."
Ivanka Yordanova (Left) and her husband Kaloyan Mihaylov (Right) HE PERFORMED THE SURGERY AS A GUEST DOCTOR Hospital officials stated that Prof. Dr. S. Y., who performed the surgery, was a guest doctor...
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Dr. S. Y. stated that he is not a permanent staff member and performed the surgery at the hospital as a guest doctor.
"THE PATIENT ALREADY HAD A LIMITED LIFE EXPECTANCY" Prof. Dr. S. Y., who stated that he was abroad, said in a phone interview that Ivanka Yordanova was open to all kinds of treatment methods and expressed that he explained all the risks to her. He noted that the decision for drug treatment and surgery was made with the patient's approval, and he said:
"The patient's cancer is a serious cancer. Until now, it has been said that 'Surgery cannot be performed.' It has been said that 'There is no chance of treatment.' She was a patient open to all kinds of treatment methods. Initially, a procedure was performed. Drug treatment was administered. Thanks to this, we both increased the remaining liver volume and controlled the tumor. We waited for 3 months. Then a tomography was performed. We evaluated the tomography. In this evaluation, we saw that the remaining liver volume had grown sufficiently. We are enlarging it enough in these procedures so that the patient does not go into liver failure. After these evaluations, we made the decision for surgery. We talked with the patient many times beforehand. We discussed the risks of the surgery. We explained all the risks. I explained what would be done. Then the patient gave her approval for the procedure to be performed on her own decision. This patient already had a limited life expectancy. There was also blood loss during the surgery. Unexpectedly, we saw that the tumor had entered the main artery. We successfully removed that as well. There were critical moments regarding her condition. The surgery was completed, and she was taken to intensive care. After cancer surgeries, patients who have also had blood loss may experience DIC syndrome. This happened to her, meaning the bleeding did not stop. Interventions were made, but she could not be saved. At this stage, the patient was too ill to return to the operating room."
General Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. S. Y. "MONEY NEEDS TO BE PAID TO THE HOSPITAL, THE MONEY WILL COME OUT OF MY POCKET" Regarding the allegation that he forced Yordanova's son to sign documents for the payment of 25 thousand euros, Prof. Dr. S. Y. said, "Everything was done professionally. The patient is informed of the price in advance. A certain amount is taken from the patient first, then the surgery is performed. We agreed that the remaining payment would be made after the surgery. We still have not received part of the amount stated. In our conversation with her son, we said that the surgery was performed and expenses were incurred. Money needs to be paid to the hospital. This will come out of my pocket. We discussed that. He signed the document we prepared. I did this to have something in writing."