An Austrian brain surgeon is facing trial after allegedly allowing his 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 Austrian Regional Hospital in Graz. According to the Kurier report, the 33-year-old patient, an agricultural 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 room and had her drill a hole for the medical probe once the procedure was almost complete.
How did the incident come to light?
The doctor then allegedly told the nurses that her daughter had “just completed her first gynecological hysterectomy”, which later sparked outrage. The hospital launched an investigation after several anonymous reports were made.
What does the surgeon say in her defense?
The defendant surgeon denies allowing her daughter to drill into the patient’s skull. She told the court her comments were the result of “damn stupid maternal pride” and admitted her “biggest mistake was letting her go on the operating table”.
However, her younger colleague gave a different account, confirming that the girl helped drill the hole, but claimed he was “in control of the tool at all times”.
What do the prosecutors say?
Prosecutor Julia Steiner described the act as showing “incredible disrespect for the patient”. She asked, “What would happen if the drill was faulty and didn’t stop automatically after penetrating the skull bone?” and warned that “the risk cannot be underestimated”.
The trial continues as the surgeon maintains her innocence.
A senior doctor of Pakistani origin in the UK has admitted allowing a patient to engage in sexual activity with a nurse in the middle of surgery, a medical tribunal has heard. Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, a consultant anesthetist at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester, admitted leaving a patient during a gallbladder 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 had his trousers down. The incident occurred during the third of five operations that day, after Anjum requested a comfortable break and had the patient monitored by a nurse anesthetist. Another nurse, referred to as Nurse NT, entered 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 personal struggles, including marital tension and his wife’s trauma following the premature birth of a child, influenced his behavior. He told the tribunal he felt “ashamed and guilty” and assured such behavior would “not happen again”.
