Inspired by Turkish TV series, relatives assault doctors, force them to defibrilate dead patient

İZMİR

This file photo shows a group of doctors during a protest against violent incidents at hospitals in the Turkish capital of Ankara on July 25, 2017.

Angry relatives of a patient who died during an operation attacked two surgeons in the western Turkish city of İzmir on June 19, also forcing them to try to resuscitate the dead man with electro-shocks.

One of the victims, a 29-year-old assistant brain surgeon, told the relatives that the patient could not be saved due to the fact he suffered an anaphylactic shock, a severe allergic reaction that his body gave to the medication during the hour-long operation.

Three angry relatives then forced their way into the operation room and assaulted the doctors and the nurses, grabbing sharp medical tools nearby.

Hürriyet has learned that the relatives locked the operation room’s door from inside and they forced E. D. to use the defibrillator on the corpse in a bid to resuscitate him.

The relatives “spread terror during the 20 minutes before police finally arrived,” the assistant brain surgeon told Hürriyet.

“All the medical personnel were exposed to verbal assaults and some to physical assaults. Up until today I have received three or four death threats,” he added, calling for legal steps to address the rising number of attacks targeting doctors and nurses.

The Turkish Medical Association’s (TTB) İzmir branch said in a statement that the angry relatives were apparently inspired by a Turkish TV series in which a patient was resuscitated by a last-minute intervention with a defibrillator.

“Hospital security and police forces arrived too late. No precautions against such incidents have been taken despite our warnings. We call on parliament to adopt a new law to prevent violence against medical personnel,” the statement added.