Two healthcare workers at a Sydney hospital have been stood down while police investigate a video allegedly showing them bragging about killing Israeli patients. The clip, uploaded by an Israeli content creator, features a man and woman in blue medical scrubs. Nick Dole reports.
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00:00The NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has described this video as one of the most vile, shocking
00:07and appalling things he's ever seen.
00:10The Health Minister says an investigation is underway to determine whether any quality
00:15of care has been affected as a result of their anti-Semitic views.
00:19Ryan Park says at the moment it doesn't appear that that's the case.
00:21But he says this whole incident, particularly the nature of their comments, risks undermining
00:27confidence in the entire health sector.
00:30There is no place, no place in our hospital and health system for this sort of view to
00:38ever, ever take place.
00:42There is no place for this sort of perspective in our society.
00:47Hospitals are different in the fact that every single Australian and every single resident
00:54of this state should be able to go to their local hospital when they need care and attention.
01:00The investigative process now takes place.
01:02I don't want to leave a slither, a slither of light to allow any of them to be able to
01:11think that they will ever work for NSW Health again.
01:15The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has issued a statement saying that the video is
01:19disgusting, saying the comments are vile and he says that the footage is sickening
01:24and shameful.
01:25And the AMA has also issued a statement saying it condemns in the strongest possible terms
01:30today's anti-Semitic commentary within the health system.
01:33On behalf of NSW doctors, we want to make it clear that doctors, nurses and other health
01:37practitioners are committed to providing the best possible care for every patient in NSW.
01:43There's no place for hatred or division in the health system and this behaviour will
01:47not be tolerated.
01:48Our hospitals must remain safe havens for all patients, the statement says.
01:53And we've also heard from the Federal Health Minister, Mark Butler, who's also condemned
01:57the video in a similar vein.
01:59It is the obligation of every single health professional to treat and care for whomever
02:04comes before you.
02:06The idea that you would single out a particular group in our community and indicate you wouldn't
02:11care for them runs against every single principle in our health care system.
02:16At a time of unprecedented anti-Semitism in our country, this is a particularly sickening
02:22video.
02:23The Jewish community is deeply concerned by this video coming out.
02:28It's raised the prospect of potentially introducing more extensive vetting of health staff to
02:33ensure that they don't hold these kinds of views and of course this comes on the back
02:37of a string of anti-Semitic attacks and incidents, particularly in Sydney.
02:42Here's Alex Rivchin from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
02:45This morning we saw a video that eloquently illustrated the evil of anti-Semitism and
02:50the extent to which it has consumed the minds of some Australians.
02:54The video that we saw was absolutely chilling and horrific.
02:57The brazen way, the open and confident manner in which these people spoke about killing
03:02and torturing and wishing death upon Israelis and particularly coming from our medical professionals
03:07who we look to for care and support was a ghastly thing to see.
03:12Given the nature of these comments, this is now an active police investigation and
03:16officers who have been investigating anti-Semitism in Sydney have gone to Bankstown Hospital
03:22and the government says that anyone responsible for this will not only face the full force
03:27of the law, but they'll never work in the NSW health system again.