Ankara doctors ‘saved my life’

A ÇATALKÖY man who was on the brink of death has thanked doctors in Turkey for saving his life with a double heart bypass operation.

Ronald Brown, aged 68, became the first British man to undergo the operation at Ankara’s Kavaklıdere Umut Hospital when he went in on March 29. It cost him 20,000 YTL.

The pensioner decided to go to Turkey because he felt if he went back to England, he may not have survived the six hour flight.

Mr Brown had his first heart by-pass n England in 1988 and retired to North Cyprus with his wife, Dot, four years ago.

But in January this year he started having chest pains and spent five days at Lefkoşa State Hospital, where doctors had to revive him.

He also suffered a relapse when visiting a sungery in Girne for a routine check-up in early March and medical staff finally recommended an urgent operation at the Ankara hospital, a specialist unit.  

He said:”They told me it was vital for me to have the sungery and arranged for me to go to Ankara, the first British person to be admitted to the hospital.

“I could have gone back to England, but the waiting list for an operation would have been long, and I was told I might not survive the flight bac to the UK.

“The whole process in Ankara took six days and the doctors, nurses and surgeons were magnificent – they could not have looked after me better and I can’t thank them enough.

“Fair enough, I had to pay for the operation but the treatment was first class and I would recommend anyone who needs a similar operation to go to this hospital.

“I would also like to thank the cardiologist at Lefkoşa, Dr.Erkut Aşıcıoğlu, and surgeon Dr. Refik Tasöz for ‘pulling me back from the brink’in January and early March.

“It was them who put me in touch with the hospital in Anakara and contrary to what son people might say, I think the healthca system in the TRNC and Turkey is first class.