A patient and his consultant suffered electric shocks when medical equipment malfunctioned during an examination at a north-east .
The man and his doctor were both immediately transferred to other hospitals for treatment and health chiefs have launched an investigation.
The patient was recovering at home yesterday – but the consultant was still being cared for at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where his condition was described as “stable”.
The accident happened at the Jubilee Hospital in Huntly – in a week when NHS Grampian has been forced to postpone dozens of appointments and had to deny allegations from patients that its flagship hospital had run out of mattresses.
The patient who was injured told the Press and Journal he was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin for treatment and released later.
He said he was still “shaken” by the incident, and did not want what happened to be “swept under the carpet”.
Yesterday, NHS Grampian confirmed an inquiry had been launched.
A spokeswoman for the health board said: “We are still investigating the source of this unfortunate accident.
“The patient was discharged last night, however the consultant remains comfortable in hospital today.”
But the health board refused to say what type of equipment was involved or whether it was an isolated incident.
Dr Jean Turner – the former executive director of the Scotland Patients Association – said it was vital the findings of NHS Grampian’s investigation were made public.
She said: “It’s extremely worrying when we don’t have the full details of how something like this has happened.
“It’s quite disturbing that a member of staff and a patient should be injured while using a piece of hospital equipment.
“There could be many reasons why this has happened but it’s certainly not the kind of thing you expect to find in an NHS establishment when everything is being properly cared for and looked after.
“NHS Grampian should investigate thoroughly and when they do find out what happened they should tell the public so they can be reassured about their own safety.”
Dr Turner’s comments were echoed by north-east Labour MSP Richard Baker.
He said: “Obviously the patient seems to have had a speedy recovery but it must have been a nasty experience for them and my thoughts are with the consultant who remains in hospital.
“It does highlight the important issues around hospital machinery and safety and it’s vital the health board stays on top of this.
“I’m sure this is a very unusual incident given the number of patients treated across the health board area and I think it’s important we don’t raise any unnecessary concerns but, at the same time, it’s absolutely vital they look into what occurred and make sure all appropriate action is being taken to ensure that all equipment is working safely.”