Khaberni - Austrian authorities detained a surgeon in the neurosurgery department after she was accused of allowing her 12-year-old daughter to use a drill to make a hole in a patient's skull during a procedure at the Graz Regional Hospital in Austria.
According to "The Sun" newspaper, the incident occurred in January 2024 when a 33-year-old patient was admitted to the hospital following a serious accident that resulted in a severe brain injury, requiring immediate surgical intervention.
The operation was overseen by a chief surgeon and a resident neurosurgeon, and the accused surgeon brought her young daughter into the operating room.
According to the indictment, the surgeon allowed the child to participate by placing her hands on the drill while guiding it to create a hole in the skull for inserting a probe, which the prosecution described as "an act showing a complete disregard for the patient's safety."
Although the operation was completed without complications, the prosecution emphasized that the risks involved in such behavior cannot be ignored. On the other hand, the surgeon's lawyer denied the child made the hole, stating that the doctors fully controlled the device, admitting that allowing the child in the operating room was a poor decision, but argued that his client had borne the consequences for nearly two years.
Another lawyer stated that the assistant surgeon was unaware of the child’s age, and that he allowed her to place her hands on his while operating the drill, but he considered this not to be a matter for criminal proceedings.
The lawyer explained that the surgeon later stated she only wanted her daughter to observe her and did not witness the actual use of the drill, and that she tried to protect her colleague from repercussions when the incident became public.
The trial was postponed until December due to a lack of expert and material witnesses, amid widespread attention within the hospital where employees discussed the incident following an anonymous report about it.
