About Dr. Murat Palabıyık

I graduated from Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1989, then completed my specialisation in Child Health and Diseases at SSK Bakırköy Hospital in 1995. Alongside that I took part in the Neonatology Subspecialty Programme of the Child Health and Diseases Department at Istanbul University, which I completed in 2002.

Training after a specialisation is what keeps the work current, and I have continued to work in the field since. I also taught paediatrics for TUSDATA, because teaching a subject fixes it in place far more durably than learning it does.

From 1995 to 1997 I was a senior resident in neonatology at SSK Bakırköy Doğumevi Kadın ve Çocuk Hastalıkları Eğitim Hastanesi, and spent the following three years in the department of older children and nephrology at the same hospital. Between 2002 and 2006 I worked in the newborn intensive care unit at İstanbul Bakırköy Kadın Doğum ve Çocuk Hastalıkları Eğitim Hastanesi.

From 2006 until 2017 I was a consultant in neonatology at International Hospital, and from 2011 also at Avcılar Hospital. In 2017 I joined Elit Istanbul Medical Center in Florya, where I continue to work.

My path began in a village health post in Karabulak, Doğubayazıt in Ağrı, where I was a general practitioner between 1989 and 1991. That was where I learnt the first lessons of medicine: at the time, a health post was the only point of healthcare for the whole area.

In children's medicine the answer is rarely visible in a single consultation. A child's growth curve, sleep pattern, appetite, vaccination history and the habits of the family all have to be read together. That is why at every visit I look not only at what is happening today, but at how your child has changed since the last one.

A parent's observation is the most valuable part of this work. The person who notices that a child's appetite has changed, that sleep has become irregular or that behaviour is different is usually the mother or the father. Placing that observation in the right frame is one of the most important parts of the examination.

What I find hardest is the "let us try something ourselves as well" approach that sometimes appears when a child does need treatment. In those cases the first task is to understand the situation correctly, and then to say plainly what can wait and what cannot. Knowing what to do as a parent is part of the treatment.

There is no rule that every complaint in a child is an emergency; but if you cannot decide whether something is normal and can wait, booking an appointment is always the right move. There are, on the other hand, situations that should not be waited out. If your child loses consciousness, turns blue, has severe difficulty breathing or the chest pulls in, or has a seizure that does not stop, call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department immediately. Noisy breathing, a fever that starts suddenly and rises quickly, a baby who is not feeding or is passing little or no urine, repeated vomiting through the day, or blood in the stool need to be seen by a doctor the same day rather than waited on.

Is neonatology different from paediatrics?

Neonatology is a subspecialty within paediatrics. A paediatrician covers the whole range from birth to 18, while neonatology concentrates on the period after delivery, particularly on premature and seriously ill babies. Having both means being able to assess a child properly during the most sensitive period of their life.

What should I bring to the appointment?

Booking ahead reduces waiting during clinic hours. Bringing your child's vaccination card, any previous test results and the names of any medicines they are taking makes a first consultation far more productive. Remembering when the complaint started, what changed and what made it better or worse is just as valuable.

What happens at the first consultation?

Your child's general condition and breathing are assessed first, then the history of the complaint is taken. Measurements may be taken and part of the examination carried out. All of this only makes sense when read together with what you describe, which is why your observations matter.

Do these pages count as medical advice?

No. This information is written to inform parents. Diagnosis, decisions about tests and treatment can only be discussed during a consultation. The purpose of these pages is to help you recognise when it is time to see a doctor.