Obligatory "I've heard of 'Take Your Child to Work Day,' but this is ridiculous!" joke. Per Sky News, an Austrian doctor allowed his 13-year-old daughter to assist him with an emergency surgery. The patient was involved in a forestry accident, landing him at Graz University Hospital via an air ambulance.
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Once there, the patient needed cranial surgery. The surgeon, following his heart, decided the occasion was perfect for his teenage daughter to learn a thing or two! At some point during the procedure, the surgeon allowed his daughter to drill a hole in the patient's head. (Normal for relieving pressure in the skull or draining fluid.)
Originally reported by a local media outlet, Kronen Zeitung, the operation -- surprisingly -- went off without any major problems! It wasn't until a few months later that issues arose. An anonymous complaint was submitted to Graz's prosecutor's office, and an investigation followed. The doctors involved with the operation were dismissed "without notice."
The patient realized what had happened to them. They found this information through media reports. While the patient lived through the surgery, they ended up in intensive care for 11 days and are still unable to work. The patient's lawyer, Peter Freiberger, is suing for damages.
A Surgeon Loses His Job After Allowing His Daughter To Drill A Hole Into A Patient
"You lie there. Unwilling, unconscious, and become guinea pigs. There's probably no other way to put it... that's not possible. You can't do that," Freiberger stated. "There was no contact, no explanation or apology, nothing. That is simply undignified."
A trauma surgery specialist, Manfred Bogner, spoke to Sky News about the situation. Bogner stated that he "didn't understand" how anyone could ask a child to perform such a sensitive procedure.
"An operating theatre belongs to people who have a job to do there and no one else. And a child should not be given a drill and allowed to drill away at the bone of a seriously injured person."
It's truly insane! That's like a police officer taking their child with them to bust up some crime and giving them a gun. It's incredible faith in your child, to be sure!
