The two defendants, a man and a woman, were colleagues at the regional hospital of Graz, in southern Austria. The girl in question is the daughter of the female surgeon.
‘Surgeon lets her daughter (13) drill a hole in the patient’s skull’
On the day in question in January 2024, the then 12-year-old child was studying in her mother’s office when she was called for an operation. When asked if she could go to the operating room, the woman answered “yes.”
The defendants admit that the daughter was present during the procedure. That is against hospital protocol. The patient was a 33-year-old man who had suffered a heavy branch on his head during an accident in a forest. He arrived at the hospital with severe brain trauma and had to undergo emergency surgery.
The male surgeon told the court that towards the end of the operation, the girl’s mother walked away from the operating table to make a phone call. The girl then allegedly asked if she could help. When he asked the question to his calling colleague, she said “why not?” have answered.
Defense: ‘Girl only had hand on drill’
However, the defense denies that the girl was allowed to operate a skull drill herself. According to lawyer Bernhard Lehofer, who is defending the two surgeons, the action was carried out by the neurosurgeon himself. The girl only had her hand on his hand or on the drill while drilling, the lawyer believes.
The surgeon himself claims not to remember where the girl’s hand was. Her mother was also “too distracted” to remember anything, although she previously told the police that her daughter’s hand was on the drill.
After the procedure, the mother is said to have proudly announced what her daughter had done. However, when the matter came to light at the hospital through anonymous reports, she reportedly advised her colleague to deny everything.
‘Incredible lack of respect for patient’
The defense emphasized that the surgeons have already been punished, as they were fired after the incident. He also pointed out that the operation went well, without complications. However, according to the public prosecutor, “the risk cannot be downplayed” and there was “an incredible lack of respect for the patient.”
The defendants risk a prison sentence of one year, a fine of up to 720 times the daily wage or a combination of both for ‘minor physical damage’.