Update after British woman, 20, dies days after £2,500 botched weight loss surgery in Turkey
An inquest has heard how a 20-year-old woman died just days after undergoing weight loss surgery abroad after contracting an infection in her abdomen.
Morgan Ribeiro became gravely ill on her flight back to the UK, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. She later passed away in hospital.
She had travelled to Turkey on 5 January, 2024, to have gastric sleeve surgery that cost her £2,500. But the young woman tragically never made it home to London.
Despite her operating doctor giving Morgan medical clearance to get on the flight three days after she had the operation in Istanbul, she became 'very unwell' during it.
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The plane that was bound for Gatwick Airport had to make an emergency landing in Belgrade, Serbia, and the Brit was subsequently rushed to hospital and admitted to an intensive care unit.
Morgan then passed away on 13 January, 2024 - but more than two years on, her family are desperately still waiting for answers about the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to a post mortem that was conducted in Serbia and subsequently reviewed by a pathologist in the UK, Morgan died due to 'diffuse inflammation of the retroperitoneum' and the 'rupture of the intestinal wall'.
It is believed that her small intestine may have been punctured during the gastric sleeve surgery, resulting in her getting an infection which had fatal consequences.
However, Assistant Coroner Laura Stephenson said she was unable to record a conclusion at a hearing on Wednesday (27 May) as the surgeon has still not communicated with the court.
Naming the surgeon in question, Dr Serkan Bayil, she told the inquest that he has not responded to repeated requests for information related to the case.
"I am not making findings of fact now as to whether that [the Serbian post mortem] is correct, but clearly the evidence I have now is that I need to know more about the surgery," Ms Stephenson said.
She told how her team has made multiple attempts to speak to Dr Bayil since December to inform him he has been classed as an 'interested person' who is believed to have crucial information.
Letters and emails directed to the clinic where he is seemingly based, the Apera Health Group, have gone unanswered - but Ms Stephenson said she couldn't be sure whether the surgeon had received them or not.
The assistant coroner said: "It’s not clear from officers’ inquiries if that correspondence has reached him or if he’s still based there [at Apera Health Group]. I don’t have the same powers because it’s in a foreign jurisdiction.
"I want to finish the inquest today and I know the family has been waiting a long time. However I need to consider fairness to all parties.
"[The surgeon] has the right to participate in the inquest. If he has received [correspondence] and does not wish to participate then there’s not much I can do. But I’m not satisfied it’s reached him.
"I want as much information as I can possibly get about what happened before Morgan died. If there’s a safety issue here on which action can be taken to prevent future deaths, then I want all the information possible.
"It’s hard to get that without the surgeon or clinic’s perspective."
Ms Stephenson adjourned the inquest into Morgan's death. The next hearing will take place on 28 August and it is believed a conclusion will be recorded, regardless of Dr Bayil's participation.
The Turkish medic previously claimed that his patient had passed away on her way back to the UK after suffering from an obstruction or blockage in a blood vessel, which is known as an embolism.
Dr Bayil told The Mirror in 2024: "I am sad, so, so sad, she was so young I wish that this had never happened, it is the first time in my career.
"Two others from England that had the same surgery are very happy with it. But in surgery there are always complications, always risk. I would say it is safe to come to Turkey, this is just a tragic incident.
"[Morgan's] vital signs were good when she left us. The most fearful thing in these operations is leakage and she had zero leakage and because of this I think she had an embolism.”
Speaking after the latest hearing, Morgan's dad Richard Ribeiro, 46, grew tearful as he told reporters: "I have waited two years for this. I’ll wait as long as it takes. I want to know whether it was malpractice or not."
Topics: UK News, World News, Health
Olivia Burke