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An orthopedic surgeon in Australia was hit with a hefty fine for taking a photo of a patient’s penis, which was tattooed with a swastika, and sharing it with others.
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The doctor, who was not identified, snapped the picture while treating a man at a hospital in April 2019.
The patient required surgery after a homemade pipe bomb exploded in his hands, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Following the surgery, the patient and his swastika-inked schlong was placed in intensive care, where he was intubated and placed in a coma for one week, according to the outlet.
The surgeon somehow felt the need to take the photo at some point that week, and share it in a WhatsApp chat with other practitioners despite it having “no clinical or medical purpose.”
The Office of the Health Ombudsman was tipped off about the photo in December 2019, prompting an investigation and referral to the medical tribunal, according to the Herald.
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Tribunal member Peter Murphy SC described the surgeon’s conduct as serious, noting that the patient was “unconscious and particularly vulnerable.”
Murphy added: “The trust reposed by the patient in his treating doctors can be seen to be particularly acute in those circumstances.”
The surgeons received a stern reprimand and a fine of $10,000, despite the tribunal acknowledging that the surgeon “immediately regretted” taking and sharing the photo.
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