An anaesthetic technician has been struck off for being under the influence of a controlled drug in an operating theatre.
Kristin Lawson was named in a ruling from the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal today.
The tribunal said Ms Lawson stole the drug Remifentanil from Auckland's MercyAscot hospitals and used it three times at work in early 2013.
It said on one occasion a colleague noticed she looked sleepy and saw her tip off a stool onto the floor.
Ms Lawson asked a colleague to say the missing drug vials had expired and been destroyed, but he refused.
She then said she needed the drug to get over a bad car crash.
The tribunal said patients were at significant risk and standards must be maintained.
