(MENAFN- Live Mint) An Austrian brain surgeon is facing trial after allegedly allowing her 12-year-old daughter to drill a hole in a patient's skull during surgery. The incident reportedly took place in January 2024 at the Graz Regional Hospital, Austria. According to a report by Kurier, the 33-year-old patient, a farm worker, was admitted with a traumatic brain injury following a serious accident. During the operation, the surgeon, accompanied by a neurosurgeon in training, allegedly invited her daughter into the operating theatre and let her drill a hole for a medical probe once the procedure was nearly finished.

How did the incident come to light?

The doctor reportedly told nurses afterward that her daughter had“just completed her first gynecological hysterectomy,” a claim that later sparked outrage. The hospital launched an investigation after multiple anonymous reports were submitted.

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What does the surgeon say in her defence?

The accused surgeon denies allowing her daughter to drill the patient's skull. She told the court that her comments were a result of“bloody stupid maternal pride” and admitted that her“biggest mistake was letting her go to the operating table.”

However, her junior colleague gave a different account, confirming that the girl did help drill the hole but claimed he was“always in control” of the tool.

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What do prosecutors say?

Prosecutor Julia Steiner described the act as showing“incredible disrespect towards the patient.” She questioned,“What would have happened if the drill had been defective and had not stopped automatically after breaking through the skull bone?” and warned that the“risk cannot be downplayed.”

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The trial continues as the surgeon maintains her innocence.

Pakistan doctor leaves surgery midway, found in 'compromising' position with nurse

A senior Pakistani-origin doctor in the UK admitted to leaving a patient mid-surgery to engage in sexual activity with a nurse, a medical tribunal heard. Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, a consultant anaesthetist at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester, accepted that he had left a patient during a gall bladder operation in September 2023 to meet a nurse, identified as Nurse C, in a nearby operating theatre.

According to The Daily Mail, a colleague found Dr Anjum“in a compromising position” with the nurse, catching him tying his trousers while the nurse's trousers were down. The incident occurred during the third of five surgeries that day, after Anjum had asked for a comfort break and left an anaesthetic nurse to monitor the patient. Another nurse, referred to as Nurse NT, walked in on the scene and later reported it to her manager.

At the hearing, Anjum admitted his actions and expressed deep remorse, describing the episode as a“unique incident.” He said that personal struggles, including marital strain and his wife's trauma after their premature child's birth, had affected his behaviour. He told the tribunal he felt“ashamed and guilty” and assured that such conduct would“not happen again.”

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