M.D. Metehan Bağış

My 82-year-old father, Ahmet, slipped on the marble floor at our summer house in Yalıkavak. What we thought was just a bad fall turned into a frantic midnight dash to Bodrum Hospital. Dr. Metehan Bağış met us at the ER entrance—he was calm while we were panicking. He immediately spotted signs of a hidden hip fracture my father was trying to 'tough out.' His gentle but firm manner convinced Baba to accept help. The coordination for surgery was seamless, and Dr. Bağış explained the complex procedure to us in the family garden using a fig branch and stones—suddenly it made sense. He visited three times daily post-op, often joking with Baba about football. He treated the patient, not just the X-ray. We are forever grateful.

Our 5-year-old daughter, Elif, swallowed a small toy magnet while playing at a Bodrum resort restaurant. The panic was indescribable. At Acıbadem, Dr. Bağış took one look at her and the identical magnet we brought and declared, 'We have two hours. We will not wait.' His voice was a command that cut through our terror. He didn't just order scans; he personally wheeled her to imaging, narrating a story about a pirate treasure hunt to keep her calm. He found the second magnet in her intestine, preventing a potential catastrophe. His follow-up call the next day to check on 'his little pirate' meant more than any medicine. He turned our worst holiday memory into a story of incredible care.

I'm a commercial diver working on yacht maintenance in the marina. A high-pressure hose burst during a routine job, causing a severe 'degloving' injury to my forearm. The pain was blinding. Dr. Bağış's team in Trauma was ready. What struck me wasn't just the speed—it was the precision. He explained the reconstructive surgery would be like 're-sheathing a cable,' a metaphor I instantly understood. For six weeks of complex follow-ups, he tracked the graft's progress with the focus of an engineer, adjusting treatment based on subtle tissue changes. He respected my need to understand the mechanics of my own recovery. Because of him, I have full function and am back in the water. This was master-level trauma care.

We brought my wife, Aylin, in with what seemed like severe food poisoning after a fish dinner in Gümbet. She was disoriented and in agony. Dr. Bağış listened to our story, then asked one quiet question about the type of fish. His demeanor shifted instantly. He suspected ciguatera poisoning, rare in these waters. While others might have treated symptoms, he launched a detective hunt, contacting the restaurant and fishery. His rapid diagnosis and specific antidote protocol stopped neurological damage that could have been permanent. During her three-day stay, he taught us about ocean toxins with the passion of a marine biologist. He saw the puzzle pieces everyone else missed. He didn't just save her health; he saved her passion for the sea.