Investigation Urged for All Patient Records at Bankstown Following Threats Against Israeli Patients
Police and health investigations are ongoing, with the two nurses involved currently suspended.
The safety of all patients treated within New South Wales (NSW) public hospitals has been called into question following the threat by two nurses from Bankstown Hospital in Sydney to kill Israeli patients.
A video showed the two health workers boasting they had harmed Israeli patients and planned to continue doing so. The video is currently under police forensic investigation.
One nurse was captured on video saying, “I won’t treat them, I will kill them,” while the other stated, “You have no ideal how many [Israelis] came to this hospital, and I sent them to Jahannam [hell].”
Shadow Health Minister Kellie Sloane, representing an electorate in Sydney with a high Jewish population, has called for a comprehensive review of all patient records at the hospital.
“The records of all patients treated by the Bankstown Hospital staff must be urgently scrutinized for any adverse or unexplained outcomes. Additionally, there should be an evaluation of the broader workplace culture,” she stated.
“This vile and dangerous ideology has no place in society—let alone our hospitals. I thank the minister for his swift action in launching an investigation and referring the matter to police,” Sloane added.
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NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has stated that, at the moment, there is “no evidence” suggesting any patients have been adversely affected.
Park emphasized that the investigation is still in its early stages and expressed his commitment to rebuilding trust with the Jewish community and the public at large.
NSW Health has initiated a review of the situation at the hospital, which Park described as a “very challenging and likely lengthy process.”
The health department is working to ensure that no other patients have suffered “adverse outcomes as a result of these two individuals and the care they provided at the hospital,” Park noted.
“We have just begun this detailed work, and I intend to approach it diligently to reassure the community, especially the Jewish community, who have been distressed in the past 24 hours, that they can continue to trust our health and hospital system here in NSW,” he added.
Following the circulation of the footage by Israeli social media influencer Max Veifer, the two nurses have been suspended.
Park, during a visit to Bankstown Hospital on Feb. 13, reiterated that the vast majority of NSW Health workers are dedicated professionals striving to provide the best care for their patients and the community.
NSW Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb confirmed that a Strike Pearl investigation is in progress, with detectives having interviewed staff at the Bankstown hospital.
“It is unfathomable that we are faced with investigating such a horrendous incident,” Webb remarked.
The Epoch Times reached out to NSW Health for comment.
Wide-ranging Response to the Video
Several groups and associations, including Jewish and Islamic organizations and medical unions, have reacted to the video.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) condemned “all forms of racism, bigotry, and hatred, including acts of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.”
Australian Medical Association President Dr. Kathryn Austin strongly denounced the anti-Semitic comments within the health system.
“On behalf of NSW doctors, we want to make it very clear that doctors, nurses, and other health practitioners are committed to providing the best possible care to every patient in NSW,” she stated.
The incident has raised further concerns about the rise of anti-Semitism in Australia and has sparked fears within the Jewish community.
Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, described the video of the two nurses as “utterly sickening to watch.”
“Their unrepentant, gleeful hatred is the precursor to the violence we are experiencing in our country and it must be stamped out,” he said.
“It is this hatred and dehumanization of Jews that causes wars and the carnage of Oct. 7 and if left unchecked it will further degrade our society. Time for consequences.”
Meanwhile, the Australian Islamic Medical Association expressed deep concern over a recently circulated video.
“Such behavior undermines the ethical principles of the medical profession and the trust patients place in healthcare providers. We urge relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and accountability in healthcare,” the group stated.
