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Doctor's shocking act during Zoom court hearing

The Medical Board of California said it would investigate a plastic surgeon who appeared in a video conference for his traffic violation trial while operating.

Dr Scott Green was seen wearing his scrubs while in the operating room on Thursday (local time) during his Sacramento Superior Court trial, held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Sacramento Bee reported.

A video of the hearing, during which the beeps of medical machinery can be heard in the background, has since gone viral.

“Hello, Mr Green? Hi. Are you available for trial?” asked a courtroom clerk as an officer summoned to appear in trial raised her eyebrows.

“It kind of looks like you’re in an operating room right now?”

Dr Scott Green seen in the operating room during the court hearing via Zoom last week.
Dr Scott Green was seen wearing his scrubs while in the operating room on Thursday (local time) during his Sacramento Superior Court trial. Source: Sacramento Bee via AP

“I am, sir,” Green replied.

“Yes, I’m in an operating room right now. Yes, I’m available for trial. Go right ahead.”

The clerk reminded Green the proceedings were being live-streamed because traffic trials are required by law to be open to the public, and Green said he understood.

He appeared to continue working with his head down while waiting for Court Commissioner Gary Link to enter the chamber.

When Link appeared and saw the doctor on the screen, the judge hesitated to proceed with the trial out of concern for the welfare of the patient.

“I have another surgeon right here who’s doing the surgery with me, so I can stand here and allow them to do the surgery also,” Green said.

The judge said he didn’t think it was appropriate to conduct trial under the circumstances. He told Green he’d rather set a new date for trial “when you’re not actively involved or participating and attending to the needs of a patient.”

Medical machinery could be heard in the background of Dr Scott Green's trial.  Source: The Sacremento Bee via AP
Medical machinery could be heard in the background of Dr Scott Green's trial. Source: The Sacramento Bee via AP

Green apologised.

“Sometimes, surgery doesn’t always go as,” he said before the judge interrupted him.

“It happens. We want to keep people healthy, we want to keep them alive. That’s important,” Link said.

The board said it would look into the incident, saying it “expects physicians to follow the standard of care when treating their patients.”

A call seeking comment from Green has not been returned.

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