The family of Meryem Topçu, who had been under treatment for leukemia at İstanbul’s Okmeydanı Research and Training Hospital, is being accused of unplugging the life support unit keeping Topçu alive. According to allegations, Topçu was resuscitated at the emergency room on Friday night after collapsing. Once revived she was taken to the internal medicine department, but her heart stopped once again, and she was hooked up to life support in the emergency room. Arriving at the hospital, her relatives said they wanted to recite the Quran at her bedside, which the doctors allowed. The relatives who were allowed into the emergency room to recite Quran later said they would like to take her to their home.Doctors at the hospital refused their request, and the ensuing argument soon turned into a scuffle. Security personnel at the hospital intervened after the hospital staff noticed that Topçu’s life support unit had been unplugged at 3:45 p.m. According to witness testimony, the argument began at around 3:20 p.m.
The hospital police were informed immediately, who in turn notified the Public Safety Directorate and the Homicide Bureau. In their testimonies, doctors stated that one of Topçu’s relatives, whom they identified as a woman, unplugged the unit.
According to news reports, Topçu’s mother confessed to “having loosened” the pipe attached to the life support unit so as to make her daughter “more comfortable.” Thirteen of Topçu’s relatives were detained upon the orders of the prosecutor who arrived at the hospital after the incident. The suspects were taken to the Public Safety Directorate for interrogation. The police have also questioned nurses and orderlies working on the floor where Topçu’s room was located.
An investigation into Topçu’s death has been started, according to the Health Ministry and the police department.
