PEOPLE – An orthopedic surgeon was fined $10,000 after taking and sharing a photo of a swastika tattoo located on a comatose patient’s penis.
The incident occurred at a Queensland regional hospital in April 2019, according to findings from the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Neither the patient or surgeon were referred to by name.
In a written judgement detailing their findings, the tribunal said the patient had “a swastika tattooed on the left side of his penis” when he was admitted to the hospital for injuries he sustained from a homemade pipe bomb that exploded while he was holding it.
The tribunal stated that the surgeon noticed the tattoo while treating the patient, who was in a coma, and then “photographed it,” going on to share that image with other medical practitioners on WhatsApp.
“Plainly, neither the photograph nor the sharing of it occurred with Mr XY’s knowledge or consent,” read the judgement.
The judgement further stated that the Office of the Health Ombudsman was notified in Dec. 2019, and the Medical Board of Australia began an investigation in Feb. 2020, which led the case to be referred to the tribunal.
According to the findings of the tribunal, the doctor — who “immediately regretted taking and distributing the photograph and was remorseful himself” — had himself “been subjected to racism in various forms” …
