Scandal at the hospital! Baby slips from the doctor's hands and dies.

26.10.2025 17:03

A woman living in the Lüleburgaz district of Kırklareli reportedly lost her baby due to negligence at a university hospital in Edirne, where she went when her labor pains began. Allegedly, the woman had to give birth in the hospital's service room, and the baby slipped from the doctor's hands and fell to the ground. An investigation has been launched regarding the baby who lost its life.

In Kırklareli, pregnancy follow-up was conducted for the expectant mother T. Z. at a private hospital in the Lüleburgaz district. She presented to the hospital where her follow-up was being conducted due to a health issue she experienced in the 32nd week. It was determined that the problem was high blood pressure, and the mother was referred to a university hospital for a safer delivery. She was informed that a committee would gather to determine the date for the delivery.

'ALLEGATION THAT THE BABY SLIPPED FROM THE DOCTOR'S HANDS AND DIED DURING DELIVERY IN THE HOSPITAL SERVICE ROOM'

However, the following week, T. Z. experienced contractions and returned to the doctor who was monitoring her. When she could not reach the doctor, who was reportedly on vacation and did not want to be disturbed, T. Z. was sent to the university hospital by the on-call doctor despite having contractions and a 3 cm dilation. Without ambulance service, T. Z. and her husband E. Z. had to make their way to the university hospital, which was about 80 kilometers away, on their own. At the university hospital, the mother was admitted to the service room with a diagnosis of 'abdominal pain' without being connected to any contraction monitoring device, and she delivered while standing in the service room. During the intervention of the doctor who later entered the room, the baby slipped from her hands and fell. T. Z. claimed that she did not see her baby after the delivery and that the records indicated 'stillbirth' the next day. According to the records, the baby had a lung problem, which T. Z. saw for the first time in the death report.

'ALLEGATION THAT THE BABY WAS ALIVE'

The accompanying mother S. Z. and N. Y. stated in their testimonies that they heard the baby move and cry after the delivery. The epicrisis report indicated that intervention occurred within 10 seconds after the delivery, oxygen was given to the baby due to suspicion of diaphragmatic hernia, and the baby was handed over to the pediatrics team. At 1:41 PM, the family was informed that the baby had passed away. However, in their complaint, the family argued that the delivery took place in the service room and that the doctors arrived only after the incident. The family also requested an examination of the hospital records and camera footage related to this process. According to allegations, T. Z. was taken to the control room instead of the operating room for the removal of the placenta, and she was kept without sedation while experiencing high blood pressure and faintness. Two hours later, the stitching procedure was performed under sedation. The family claimed that the mother was made to walk in the corridor covered in blood. The family filed a criminal complaint with the Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on August 26 against both the private hospital and the university hospital, requesting all camera recordings and phone conversations from the night of the incident.

"AMBULANCE WAS NOT CALLED, 'GO IN YOUR OWN VEHICLE' WAS SAID"

The victim T. Z. stated that her follow-ups were conducted at a private hospital in Lüleburgaz throughout her pregnancy, saying, "My pregnancy follow-ups were done at a private hospital in Lüleburgaz. Until that time, I did not know that there was a problem with my baby. One evening, I had bleeding. We set out due to the bleeding. On the way to the private hospital where I was being monitored, my water broke. The on-call nurses checked my condition there. They said, 'There is a 3 cm dilation.' At that moment, my own doctor was not available. She did not want to be reached in any way. I did not have her number either. Despite being a private hospital, she did not want us to contact her. We spoke with the on-call doctor over the phone. I was told, 'You need to be transferred because you are under 32 weeks. There is an intensive care unit there.' I was in the 32nd week. An ambulance was not called. I was told, 'Go in your own vehicle.' They said, 'The baby can safely go with you in your belly. I cannot take you here; there is no intensive care.' So we went to our vehicle. It was my first pregnancy, and we had no knowledge. We just did what we were told."

"I ENCOUNTERED HARSH ATTITUDES, I HAD CONTRACTIONS FOR 3 HOURS"

T. Z. also described the attitudes she encountered at the hospital she was transferred to, saying, "When I got there, I was met with attitudes like 'Why did you come?' I had already called there on the way. When I called, they spoke very harshly. I was told, 'Go somewhere else, we have no room.' This is also present in the phone records. My examination was done very harshly. I was subjected to scolding. I could not make a sound. I could not say anything because I was in a very bad situation. My blood pressure was quite high that night due to hypertension during pregnancy, around 17-18. I was not in a good condition anyway. Later, when we went to the counter, while my registration was being done, I was supposed to be taken to a normal room in the obstetrics service, not to the delivery room. When I was taken to the room, I had contractions. They told me it was abdominal pain. I already had dilation, but I was taken to a normal service room. I was not connected to the NST. Only an IV was placed, and a medication was administered. At one point, I lost consciousness. They told me, 'Your contractions will pass; you will have to wait.' My contractions were coming every 2 minutes. I was screaming very loudly. They said, 'Abdominal pain, normal, this is not labor pain.'

"MY BABY SLIPPED FROM THE DOCTOR'S HANDS AND FELL"

Continuing to recount her experiences, T. Z. said, "I had contractions for three hours. I thought my water had broken at 6:00 AM. Suddenly, I stood up, and the baby slid down between my legs. My family said, 'Run, hurry!' The nurses came to the room. They woke up from their sleep. The baby was in amniotic fluid. They picked it up from the floor. It slipped from the doctor's hands and fell. Then she picked it up again. The baby was moving. I saw this. Later, they took the baby to a room next door. My mother and mother-in-law heard it crying."

"WE NEVER SAW THE BABY ALIVE IN ANY WAY"

T. Z. also spoke about the intervention process, saying, "I was taken half-naked through the corridor in front of everyone to the intervention room next door. The necessary intervention was made there. Then I was taken down to the operating room, where further intervention was performed. After that, I was brought back to the room. There were specific hours to see the baby.

I was given breastfeeding training. During those hours, we were supposed to go up to see. I received a phone call. "Your spouse should come up," they said. My spouse went up. They said our baby had passed away. We never saw the baby while alive in any way. If the situation was this bad, they could have told us. My spouse saw the baby in that condition; I saw my baby in the morgue the next day," he said. T. Z. also stated that no explanation was given after the death of his baby, saying, "No one came to the room for condolences later. No explanation was made in any way. I don't know what intervention was made to me. What was done, no one said anything. We saw it from the epicrisis we received. The next day we took the baby, we buried it. I was treated very badly. When we went to the hospital, I was forcibly tried to be examined. My blood pressure was between 17-18. I was really in a very bad situation. I was not approached well at all in that condition," he said.

"I HAVE APPLIED TO ALL LEGAL REMEDIES"

Stating that he has initiated legal proceedings after the incident, T. Z. said, "I have complete trust in justice. I have applied to all necessary legal remedies. I will do whatever is needed. I am following this case; I want the perpetrators to receive the necessary punishments. Also, there was a problem with my baby's diaphragm. Normally, this problem is seen by the 18th week at the latest. Although I went in the 23rd week, my reports were given as normal, and it was not said that 'there is a problem.' I learned this after he was born," he expressed. T. Z. also spoke about his conversation with the doctor who monitored his pregnancy after the birth, saying, "After I lost my baby, when I spoke with my doctor during my normal check-ups, he told me, 'I saw fluid in the lungs, but I didn't tell you. You can also complain about me.' It shouldn't have been like this. I hope no one else gets hurt. If there is a problem, it should have been communicated, and the necessary intervention should have been made in time," he said.

"WHY IS A COMMITTEE DECISION REQUIRED FOR BIRTH?"

T. Z.'s lawyer, Hüseyin Oğulcan Yılmaz, stated that the process is a chain of negligence, saying, "She applies to the hospital with a complaint of high blood pressure. Here, the mother does not realize that she has high blood pressure. However, during the checks made at the week, it is determined that the mother has high blood pressure during the baby's checks. For this reason, due to the lack of sufficient equipment, they send the mother to the faculty hospital for blood pressure control. When she goes to the faculty hospital, blood pressure checks are made, and a date is set for the birth. According to the information given by the faculty hospital, the mother is treated as if she were a hypertension patient. However, there was no such situation before. This is the only information communicated to the mother. Besides that, it is communicated to the mother that a committee decision is needed for the birth. However, there is a question mark here. Normally, if a baby is healthy and there is no problem, why is a committee decision needed for birth? There is a question mark here," he expressed.

"BIRTH WAS PERFORMED IN THE SERVICE ROOM INSTEAD OF THE OPERATING ROOM"

Yılmaz stated that the doctor who followed the process in the private hospital was on leave days before the birth date, saying, "The doctor who followed the process in the private hospital is on leave for about 3-4 days before the birth. They say he is abroad. Then, when she goes to the faculty hospital on Tuesday with pain and contractions, the birth takes place. However, the way the birth occurs is a chain of negligence in terms of hygiene conditions. The mother gives birth in the service room. No special precautions are taken. How a birth that should have been decided by a committee until yesterday occurred in a service room is also a big question mark. The baby is born. Of course, since this birth did not take place under operating room conditions, there are witnesses including the mother, her husband, and many others. After the baby is born, the doctor drops the baby on the floor. After the baby falls to the ground, the baby's crying sound and movement are heard by the witnesses while the baby is being taken out of the room. Nevertheless, no information is given to the mother until the next day. When the next day comes, she is informed that the baby was stillborn. However, witnesses say the baby cried and moved. The Ministry of Health is also informed that there was a problem with the baby's lungs. The doctor in the private hospital who followed the birth process is also reached. That doctor says, 'I noticed this.' We have made our applications to the necessary places regarding this entire process. Our complaint continues. We want those responsible to be punished. Because at this point, only my client showed courage and made a complaint. Perhaps many mothers have experienced this. Both my client and I have complete trust that the relevant authorities will follow the issue meticulously," he said.

"WE PRESENTED ALL EVIDENCE, WE WANT JUSTICE"

Yılmaz stated, "When my client's contractions started, although a date was set for the faculty committee decision, she goes to the private hospital that has been following the process until the end. However, the private hospital does not take any responsibility and avoids responsibility by telling her to go to the faculty hospital. It is actually against the normal course of life for a mother with a problem to go by her own vehicle. This is another indication of negligence. When my client goes to the faculty, the doctors and nurses do not connect the mother to the NST device for monitoring. The checks are performed in primitive ways. Although my client expresses that these checks are very painful, the doctors and officials laugh among themselves and make remarks like 'How did you get married?'" he stated. Lawyer Yılmaz emphasized that the legal process is being followed meticulously, saying, "The hospital agreed for the birth is a private hospital in Lüleburgaz. However, the place where the birth took place is the faculty hospital in Edirne. We are following the file meticulously. We have submitted all the epicrisis records, witness statements, parking entry-exit records, and camera footage to our complaint file. We believe that justice will be served. We hope this does not happen to other mothers. This is really a very sad, tragic event," he said.

DISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

After the family's criminal complaint, the Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a 'lack of jurisdiction' decision regarding the investigation. The file was combined with the disciplinary investigation conducted within the university and transferred to the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Medicine of the university.

In the article dated September 18, it was stated that the disciplinary investigation related to the incident is ongoing.