Died in Turkey at the age of 28: Mother loses her heart!

Died in Turkey at the age of 28: Mother loses her heart!

Türkei - Beth Martin, a 28-year-old mother from Portsmouth, died tragically a day after her admission to a Turkish hospital. She had traveled to Turkey on April 27 with her husband Luke and her two small children aged 8 and 5. After her arrival, her health deteriorated rapidly, which led to her immediate admission to the hospital for intellectual confusion. Nevertheless, she died 24 hours later.

During the hospital stay, Luke Martin was hardly informed about his wife's state of health and was not allowed to visit her. The shock for the family was deepened when the Turkish authorities suspected Luke to have poisoned his wife. However, a police investigation initiated was later discontinued.

The shocking find after returning

After her return to Great Britain, an autopsy showed that Beth Martin's heart was missing: It had been removed during her stay in Turkey without the family knowledge or approval. Turkish law allows the removal of organs without the consent of the relatives if this is necessary to clarify the cause of death. In exceptional cases, these organs can also be retained permanently. In order to receive the autopsy report, the family must apply for it from a Turkish court.

The legal questions about organ withdrawal are complex. It remains unclear whether the organ withdrawal in the case of Beth Martin was lawful. Your family is now calling for comprehensive information. Another worrying detail is that Beth was supposedly allergic to penicillin, but this medication is said to have received this medication in the hospital. The connection between drug administration and your death is currently being investigated. In addition, the hospital is suspected of negligence.

fundraising campaign to support the family

In the middle of this tragedy, Luke Martin has to carry his wife's body through the hospital himself. He stayed in Turkey two days longer than planned to organize the return of his late partner. A fundraising campaign was launched in solidarity support for the family, which has collected over £ 220,000 (over 262,000 euros) by May 23

The situation around the autopsy is not unproblematic in Germany either. As the doctors report, the regulation of the autopsy is unsure and inconsistent. Especially in the event of deaths outside of clinics, there are often discrepancies between the causes of death in the certificates and autopically secured causes. In addition, there is no general administrative section in medically unclear deaths in Germany, which underlines the situations such as that of Beth Martin.

The inconsistent national regulations on autopsy and organ withdrawals raise important questions about the protection of the fundamental rights of the deceased and the bereaved. This is also underlined by the findings in the new federal states, where old regulations from the GDR are still used. The questions about the autopsy practice are closely related to the protection and right of patients and their families}

The case of Beth Martin calls for a comprehensive legal regulation of the autopsy system, which respects both the will of the deceased and the relatives. It remains to be seen which measures are taken to avoid such tragic incidents in the future

For further details on this tragic incident and the associated legal aspects, the articles from Ärzteblatt consulted.