New details have emerged in the case of the tragic death of Balkhash resident Meruert Aulbayeva.
A hearing was held in the Karaganda Regional Court regarding a complaint filed in Meruert's case, concerning the refusal to grant a motion to remove the suspect doctor from his position at the multidisciplinary hospital in Balkhash.
As a reminder, in July 2023, Meruert Aulbayeva contacted the Balkhash clinic with health complaints. Despite ultrasound results indicating the need for urgent surgical intervention, the operation to remove her appendix was performed only a week later. The patient developed sepsis, from which she died on 6 November 2023.
According to a statement from the victim's brother, Aitbek Aulbayev, the suspect himself applied for a transfer to another job, deciding to leave his current position. The court proceedings confirmed that the suspect was moved to a diagnostic level of work.
The suspect himself explained that his transfer to a calmer position was not related to the criminal case, but to a deterioration in his health and the need for rehabilitation.
It is also worth noting that the case of Meruert Aulbayeva's death continues to attract increasing attention, becoming the subject of widespread publicity and, at the same time, a pretext for various speculations and manipulations.
Aitbek Aulbayev reported that an unidentified person, without any procedural status, is publicly disseminating information from the pre-trial investigation materials.
On his Facebook page, Aitbek Aulbayev spoke about the suspicious knowledge an outsider has of the details of the investigation and their dissemination of false information about Meruert.
"This person is spreading lies as if they are a participant in the investigation or the court, even though they are not even remotely involved in the case. They are not the suspect's lawyer and have not been involved in the case in any capacity. But moreover, their amazing awareness raises questions: who is 'leaking' information to them and why? Why are law enforcement authorities turning a blind eye to this, yet so actively persecuting those who try to fight for justice?" – shared Aitbek Aulbayev.
As the editorial board of FBRK previously reported, the pre-trial investigation into the case of medical negligence lasted almost a year, after which charges were brought against the main suspect. However, the defence is seeking a review of the case.
The aggrieved party is convinced that the defence is deliberately delaying the course of the proceedings, while the accused doctor's lawyers are trying to place the blame on Meruert herself.
Among the key claims allegedly being spread by a third party are statements that the suspect supposedly performed the operation flawlessly, and that the cause of the sepsis was the patient's negligent attitude towards her own health.
However, according to the victim's brother, based on documents from the electronic health passport (EHP), Meruert regularly sought medical help after the first operation, making more than 21 visits to doctors, including visits to the Balkhash clinic and a private clinic in Karaganda.
Furthermore, according to Aitbek Aulbayev, previously conducted forensic medical examinations established a direct causal link between the actions of the medical staff and the fatal outcome. The results of an inspection by the pharmaceutical and medical control body also revealed violations during the first operation.
It should be noted that the Karaganda Regional Court, having considered the defence's appeal, ordered a repeat forensic medical examination. The case has been returned to the pre-trial investigation stage.
The appearance of pre-trial investigation materials in the public domain raises serious questions not only about the sources of the information leak, but also about the purposes of its dissemination.
Also a cause for concern is the fact that, more than a year after Meruert Aulbayeva's death, despite the results of initial examinations and inspections, the case has again returned to the investigation stage, giving rise to new questions and doubts.