Turkish hospital admits deaths of 27 babies

04/08/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- The state Zekai Tahir Burak Hospital in Ankara admitted on Sunday (August 3rd) that 27 newborns have died in the past 15 days, media reported. The hospital's managers, who initially attributed about a third of the deaths to infections, later told a press conference that testing turned up no trace of infection. The babies, all prematurely born, died at the hospital for a variety of reasons, including hypertension, heart failure and complications at birth, doctors said. The hospital's trade unions, however, blamed poor sanitary conditions. (Milliyet, Radikal - 04/08/08, Hurriyet, AFP - 03/08/08)