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Police were called after a member of the public disguised himself in a gown and snuck into an operating room at Wellington Hospital during major surgery, and was allegedly assisted by a medical student admitted to the hospital.
The massive violation of privacy, medical and security, it is understood that the patient was unconscious on the operating table, occurred last week.
A senior medical student was admitted to the hospital and allegedly helped the man, the Weekend Herald understands, even giving him robes to dress up.
Capital & Coast DHB Medical Director John Tait confirmed that the violation took place last week, when a member of the public entered an operating room “under false pretenses.”
“We have apologized to the affected patient and family, and we wish to take this opportunity to apologize again. We take patient privacy and our safety responsibilities incredibly seriously, and no violation of this nature is acceptable.”
“We initiated an investigation as soon as the violation was discovered. We understand that the actions of a medical student were involved in the violation. We have discussed this with the University of Otago, we prohibit the student from entering DHB facilities while the investigations are in progress. ongoing, and the student matter is now in the hands of the university. “
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Police had been contacted about the person who entered the operating room, Tait said, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner reported.
“We are now reviewing our security protocols and systems to minimize the risk of a breach happening again.”
A police spokesman confirmed that they were informed of the incident, “however, it was not considered a police matter.”
Tait did not answer specific questions, including why the man’s presence was not immediately noticed, if they were wearing gowns, what stage the surgery was in, if the patient was naked or exposed, and what the intruder did once in the operating room.
It is unclear what the man’s motivations were, or how he managed to enter a secure magnetic card access area that should be subject to strict controls, particularly during Covid-19 alert level 2.
A spokesman for the University of Otago said the allegations about its student’s possible involvement were being taken very seriously, with an investigation underway.
“The university cannot confirm or discuss the details of the allegations, apart from noting that the student allegedly involved is currently unable to carry out clinical practices.
“Rest assured that the University of Otago has very clear expectations for its students in hospital settings and has rigorous processes in place to address any potential breaches of those expectations.”
Such a hospital security breach is extremely rare, but there are examples abroad. A woman posed as a medical student to observe surgeries and even help transport a patient to recovery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA.
The woman had become familiar with the hospital after obtaining permission to follow a doctor there, after forging letters of recommendation.
And last year, a 23-year-old was jailed for a year after pleading guilty to practicing unauthorized medicine, after posing as a doctor and diagnosing a patient with a neck tumor in a consultation room at the Center. Irvine Physician of the University of California. .
Prosecutors said Ariya Ouskouian also posed as an Orange County Children’s Hospital doctor on at least seven different occasions.
In 2018, a New Zealand woman, Zholia Alemi, was found to have provided false qualifications to work as a psychiatrist in the UK for more than two decades. Her deception was discovered when she faced charges of fraud, for which she was imprisoned.
