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Two nurses from a Sydney hospital have been stood down after a video surfaced showing them making threats against Israeli patients, reports the Guardian.
The footage was widely condemned by political leaders and prompted investigations by both
NSW Health
and police.
The video, originally shared by Israeli content creator Max Veifer, shows an online chat with two individuals wearing NSW Health uniforms. During the conversation, one of them, a man claiming to be a doctor, tells Veifer, "I'm going to be really honest with you... I’m so upset you’re Israeli. Eventually you’re going to get killed and go to Jahannam [hell]."
Veifer then asks what they would do if an Israeli patient came to their hospital. A woman in the video responds, "I won’t treat them, I will kill them." The man adds, "You have no idea how many [Israelis] came to this hospital, and I sent them to Jahannam. I literally sent them to Jahannam."
Chilling footage of NSW doctor and nurse claiming to have KILLED Israeli patients
The video has drawn backlash, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling it “sickening and shameful.” NSW Health Minister Ryan Park condemned the behavior as "vile, disgusting, and appalling," and confirmed that the individuals had been identified as nurses from
Bankstown Hospital
. "They have been stood down immediately," he said.
Park made sure that there was no place for such views in the healthcare system. "The fact that they chose to do this in uniform, while they should have been caring for patients, is deeply concerning," he said. "I don’t want to leave a sliver of light to allow any of them to think they will ever work for NSW Health again."
NSW health secretary Susan Pearce, visibly emotional during a press conference, apologised to the Jewish community. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be standing here addressing such horrendous behaviour from our staff," she said.
Park assured the public that patient safety remains a priority. "Every resident of this state should feel safe and receive high-quality care when they go to a hospital," he said.
Federal health minister Mark Butler and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke issued a joint statement condemning the video as "as chilling as it is vile." Opposition figures also criticised the incident, with shadow health minister Anne Ruston and Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson calling it "utterly disgraceful and deeply disturbing."
Park said that there was no evidence that any Israeli patients had been harmed. However, he confirmed that a thorough investigation would be conducted to ensure no adverse outcomes resulted from the individuals’ actions.
The incident is now under investigation by NSW police and the
NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission
. Detectives have interviewed hospital staff and reviewed CCTV footage to determine where the video was filmed.
