After one and a half years of investigation, the case materials concerning the death of Balkhash resident Meruert Aulbayeva have been sent to court with an indictment.
As reported by the victim's brother, Aitbek Aulbayev, on his personal Facebook page, on 28 April 2025, the criminal case regarding his sister's death finally reached the court stage.
“Today, 28 April – the investigation into Mika's death has finally been completed and the case has been sent to court. Despite the investigation dragging on for a year and a half, I am glad it has reached its conclusion at all, because often cases under Article 317 do not even make it to court,” wrote Aulbayev.
The victim's brother expressed hope that the state prosecution would be supported by employees of the regional prosecutor's office, since “the Balkhash city prosecutor's office did not show itself in the best light in this case.”
“My sister is dead, and no one and nothing can bring her back. And for this year and a half, I have been trying to fight against injustice and a stagnant system. The case is going to court, and I hope that the person who slowly killed Mika will be punished justly,” emphasised Aitbek Aulbayev in his post.
Prior to this, the case materials had been transferred to the Karaganda Regional Prosecutor's Office for the drafting of an indictment. Before this, Aitbek Aulbayev had reported that the investigation was officially completed on 11 March 2025, but the transfer of materials to the prosecutor's office was delayed by more than a month. In his opinion, this was due to the procedure of the suspect familiarising himself with the case materials, which comprised 13 volumes.
The victim's brother claimed that the suspect and his lawyers deliberately dragged out the process, despite repeatedly stating that they had familiarised themselves with all the expert examinations, which made up the majority of the materials. Aitbek Aulbayev also appealed to the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, Berik Asylov, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yerzhan Sadenov, regarding the possibility of setting a familiarisation schedule to prevent the suspect from abusing his rights.
Recall that Meruert Aulbayeva died on 6 November 2023 from multiple organ failure after several operations at the Balkhash hospital. According to the forensic medical examination, a causal link was established between the actions of the medical staff and the fatal outcome.
As previously reported by the victim's brother, who, in his own words, can now disclose details of the case after the lifting of the non-disclosure agreement, Meruert was hospitalised on 27 July 2023 with appendicitis at the stage of peritonitis. However, surgery was only performed on 3 August – a week after her admission to the hospital.
In Aitbek Aulbayev's opinion, it was precisely the incorrect actions of the doctors that led to complications and his sister's subsequent death. After the first operation, the patient remained in hospital until 28 August and was discharged with a high temperature. As the victim's brother claims, the surgical incision was made in the wrong place, which affected the inadequate sanitation of the abdominal cavity.
According to published information, within a month of discharge, Meruert's condition only worsened, and daily visits to the clinic yielded no results. Seeking help, she turned to the private clinic “Alanda” in Karaganda, where she was diagnosed with “postoperative sepsis.” Despite the seriousness of her condition, the clinic's doctors did not call an ambulance, but instead sent the patient back to the surgeon in Balkhash who had performed the initial operation.
“As it turned out, the doctors at the Alanda clinic should have called an ambulance when sepsis was suspected. They did not do this. Meruert had to travel 400 km in a very serious condition to the very doctor who had already operated on her and failed to do his job,” writes Aitbek Aulbayev.
On 18 October, a third operation was performed on Meruert at the Balkhash hospital to install a mesh to prevent a hernia. According to her brother, even before this, the patient had sent a complaint to the relevant authorities, describing her condition and the planned intervention in detail. The response to this complaint, which stated that such an operation was absolutely forbidden, arrived only after her death.
Moreover, the victim's brother reported that two days after Meruert's death, the attending physician made changes to the medical documentation, adding the diagnosis of “Crohn's disease,” which was subsequently listed on the death certificate. However, as Aulbayev claims, the forensic medical examination and an inspection by the Department for the Control of Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities (DCMPA) revealed that this diagnosis had been made unlawfully.
The editorial board of FBRK expresses the hope that the court will examine this case with due attention, impartially assess all the facts presented, and deliver a just verdict consistent with the gravity of what occurred. The story of Meruert Aulbayeva is not just the tragedy of one family, but a warning sign for the entire healthcare system. Her case has clearly demonstrated what negligence, lack of proper control, and impunity in the field of medical services can lead to. Today, specific individuals are in the dock, but much more is being called into question: patient safety and rights, trust in medical institutions, and the state's responsibility for the lives of its citizens.