A police investigation into two NSW Health workers has been launched after video footage emerged appearing to show them bragging about killing and refusing to treat Israeli patients.
The two NSW hospital workers have been identified as workers at Bankstown Hospital and were stood down on Wednesday morning.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the footage made him feel “sick to my stomach”.
“The comments are vile, dehumanising and unacceptable,” Park said as he apologised to the Jewish community.
Israeli social media personality Max Veifer posted the video on Instagram and TikTok showing him talking to the two nurses in NSW Health uniforms.
When asked what would happen if an Israeli patient came into the hospital, the woman in the video says:“I won’t treat them, I will kill them.”
The man in the video says “you have no idea how many [Israelis] came to this hospital, and I sent them to Jahannam. I literally sent them to Jahannam.”
Jahannam is the Arabic word for hell in Islam.
Park said he wanted to ensure the Jewish community that they can still expect “first class” care in NSW hospitals.
“There is no place in our hospital and health system for this sort of view to ever, ever take place,” he said.
“There is no place for this sort of perspective in our society, but hospitals are different in the fact that every single Australian and every single resident of this state should be able to go to their local hospital when they need care and attention and get high quality care that is safe and effective .”
Park said the two workers would never work for NSW Health again.
“Obviously, investigative process now takes place. I don’t want to leave a sliver, a sliver of light to allow any of them to be able to think that they will ever work for New South Wales Health again,” Park said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled the footage “sickening and shameful”.
“These antisemitic comments, driven by hate, have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia,” Albanese said.
“These individuals have been stood down by NSW authorities. They have rightly been referred to the NSW Police for criminal investigation.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns confirmed both of the workers had been stood down immediately.
“We need to send a clear and unambiguous message that if you go to an emergency department, if you’re on a ward anywhere in NSW, you will be treated by people who are highly trained and highly skilled that care about you,” Minns told 2GB Sydney on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, NSW Police said its unit established to crackdown on antisemitism, Strike Force Pearl, would carry out the investigation.
NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce, who also spoke at a press conference alongside Park on Wednesday, said: “never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be standing here with two staff of the New South Wales health system having said such horrendous feelings about our community, and particularly to our Jewish community, I offer my sincere apologies.”