‘Refugee family cannot pay the charge, hospital doesn’t give the baby’

* Photo: AA - Archive

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The Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch has made a press statement regarding the baby of a refugee family who has been held 'hostage' in the Bağcılar Research Hospital for three and a half months because the family cannot meet the treatment expenses.

M.A., who has international protection status, applied to the İHD, complaining that even though the treatment of his baby with premature birth history is completed, he is not given the baby because he cannot cover the treatment expenses. He also noted that his applications to the administration of the Bağcılar Public Hospital have remained inconclusive.

As reported by JinNews, İHD İstanbul Branch Chair Gülseren Yoleri has made a press statement about the issue and said that "the baby was born prematurely on December 21, 2020 and after the baby was taken to the incubator, the mother and the baby had no contact."

Yoleri has raised concerns that even though the treatment of the baby has been completed, the baby is not given to the family.

'He has refugee status, health insurance'

Yoleri has shared the following information about the family who currently lives in Turkey's Aegean province of Isparta:

"The father has refugee status, he has active health insurance. A petition was submitted to the Provincial Health Directorate, requesting that the medical expenses be covered by the state.

"In response to this application, the human rights commission of the directorate indicated that the father is registered as a tourist and the hospital charge should be paid as the price was set considering that the father is a tourist. But the commission also said that holding hostage is not the case in the event that the treatment expenses cannot be met."

Yoleri has said, "As the father has health insurance, we thought that the baby would not be held in hospital." However, when the father contacted the İHD again, he said that the hospital invited them to the hospital as the treatment of the baby was completed, but they were also requested to immediately pay 30 thousand lira in cash for treatment expenses.

According to Gülseren Yoleri, the hospital officials said that when the charge is paid, the problem will be solved. After making efforts to talk to the chief physician of the hospital, the İHD İstanbul Branch could finally contact the deputy chief physician, who said, "This is unheard of. If the treatment is over, [the patient] is discharged from hospital."

However, when the applicant went to talk to the hospital administration again, he was told to "talk to the director again". But he did not talk to the director and was urged to go to the accounting department.

Concluding her remarks, İHD İstanbul Chair Yoleri has raised concerns that "the baby faces the risk of entirely losing her/his family," underlining that "a baby and basic right of healthcare is at stake here." (AÖ/SD)