Surgical Fellow at Florida Hospital Accused of Stealing Medical Equipment

A Florida surgeon faces theft charges after being caught by hospital surveillance cameras stealing or attempting to steal medical equipment at least 3 times.

Nir Hus, MD, was arrested by Miami police and charged with 2 counts of grand theft last week after being confronted by security at Jackson Memorial Hospital several times in the past month, according to published reports.

Dr. Hus had been working as a post-graduate fellow in the surgical department's critical care division, says Jackson Health System in a statement.

In May, Dr. Hus was spotted on several occasions taking medical equipment from a storage area. In one incident, a security guard confronted him as he left the room with 2 instruments. Dr. Hus said he needed them for surgery, but he wasn't scheduled to operate that day.

Later in the month, security footage showed him entering the storage room with an empty bag and leaving with the bag full and additional equipment in his free hand. When confronted again, Dr. Hus told hospital security that he needed the items for surgery and took home some of the items to be used later.

The police report doesn't identify which items were stolen but all 34 pieces of equipment were reportedly returned to the hospital. As of June 1, Dr. Hus has been placed on administrative leave from the hospital "following a joint investigation between security at Jackson Health System and the University of Miami Health System," hospital officials said in a statement.

The hospital declined to provide any more details on the case, which is now in the hands of Miami police. Dr. Hus was released on bond last week.

Irene Tsikitas