Cleaning lady helps senior doctor with toe amputation

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A curious case made headlines in Mainz: the “Allgemeine Zeitung” revealed the scandal in the university clinic – the management even called a press conference at the time.

It happened in 2020: a patient would have his little toe removed under local anesthesia. The two doctors who are supposed to perform the procedure are called to an emergency – a senior doctor steps in.

But he came to the conclusion that he could handle the procedure on his own and set to work. However, during the operation, the patient becomes restless, the chief doctor decides that someone should help him – and enlists the help of a cleaner from an outside company who was working nearby.

“That Shouldn’t Have Happened”

The non-medically trained woman held the patient’s leg and sometimes gave something to the surgeon. “I don’t know what it was, I think it was a cotton swab or a suction cup,” CEO Norbert Pfeiffer said at the press conference.

It would have been right to summon someone from the clinic. The incident did not happen at night, so not because of a lack of staff, but at a time when there were enough people in the house, says Pfeiffer. The doctor should have called in qualified specialists.

“That shouldn’t have happened.” It was a blackout and an individual failure. The employment with the doctor has since been terminated following an employment law procedure. The patient was not injured by the help of the cleaning lady. (new)

Source: Blick