The brother of the deceased resident of Balkhash, Meruert Aulbayeva - Aitbek, reported that the case regarding his sister's death due to medical negligence is being deliberately delayed.
Recall that in July 2023, Meruert Aulbayeva repeatedly contacted the Balkhash polyclinic with complaints about her health, but she was only seen several days later, and surgery to remove her appendix was performed only after a week, despite the fact that ultrasound results from her very first appointment had already revealed peritonitis.
As the brother of the deceased stated, an inspection by the Ministry of Health showed that the operation was carried out too late and incorrectly, as a result of which sepsis developed in Meruert's body, with which she lived for three months. On 6 November 2023, the woman died.
The pre-trial investigation into her death in intensive care was initially conducted at the Balkhash city police department, however, according to Aitbek Aulbayeva, the Balkhash police in July three times ordered the same unnecessary, in his opinion, expert examination, thereby delaying the investigation timeline.
And only on 8 August 2024, the criminal case was transferred to the Karaganda Regional Police Department for proceedings, and the regional prosecutor's office promised to oversee the legality of the investigation.
In August, the editorial board of the FBRC sent official requests to the Karaganda Regional Prosecutor's Office and the regional police department, where we were assured that the investigation was being conducted. At that time, we were unable to find out whether there are any suspects in this case or whether anyone has been suspended from medical practice: details were not disclosed "in the interests of the investigation".
It is quite possible that the doctor who allowed the sepsis to develop is still continuing to practise medicine.
On his personal Instagram page, Aitbek Aulbayeva stated that the pre-trial investigation was promised to be completed shortly.
According to Meruert's brother, at a meeting with the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhayev, the Deputy Head of the Karaganda Regional Police Department Rashad Uteuov guaranteed that the investigation would be completed by the end of September. The same promise was made by the Karaganda Regional Prosecutor Bauyrzhan Myrzakerov during a personal meeting with Aitbek Aulbayeva.
However, more than a year after the tragic death of Meruert Aulbayeva, the pre-trial investigation is still ongoing, even though both the Ministry of Health inspection and the Ministry of Justice expert examination have already confirmed the link between the doctors' actions and the patient's death.
The editorial board of the FBRC continues to follow the progress of this case.