New Zealand surgeon Peter Walker missed his flight from Queenstown back to Christchurch after Qantas Airways staff noticed his suitcase was bleeding. Apparently his baggage contained a plastic bag loaded with bloody operating gowns, a towel, and surgical instruments. After Walker sealed his sack inside a plastic airline bag he was permitted to catch a later flight. From the New Zealand Press Association:
(Local medical officer of health Dr. Derek) Bell intends to refer the incident to the Medical Council because of the potential for injuries to bag-handling staff from sharp objects inside the bag, and the risk of exposure to blood and body fluids.
Mr Walker said the instruments were safely inside steel trays and he always asked patients beforehand if they had infectious conditions such as Aids or hepatitis. He declined to disclose what operation he performed at the Queenstown Medical Centre.
