A doctor in Germany recently lost his job after it came out that he got a hospital cleaning staff to assist during an amputation procedure that took place in 2020.
A surgeon at the Mainz University Hospital in Germany was fired after it came out that he asked a hospital cleaner to help out during a toe amputation. The surgery reportedly was successful and did not result in any further complications for the patient.
According to reports, the surgeon asked the cleaner to help after the patient became restless following a local anaesthetic. The doctor asked the cleaner to hold the patient's legs down and pass him surgical instruments.
The incident came to light after a hospital manager spotted the cleaner holding bloody gauze pads in the operating theatre.
According to a statement from the hospital’s chief executive, Norbert Pfeiffer, the surgeon wrongly decided to go ahead with the routine procedure even though no qualified assistant was available. Mr Pfeiffer also added that the surgeon would have been able to easily get help from qualified assistants if required.