UPDATE: A 48-year-old Sunshine North man has been charged with the attempted murder of a neurosurgeon who was stabbed at Western Hospital in Footscray on Tuesday morning.
Dr Michael Wong, Head of Neurosurgery at the Western Hospital, is undergoing surgery after being stabbed a number of times.
Hospital staff and visitors came to the aid of the 43-year-old neurosurgeon after he was allegedly set upon in the foyer by a man wielding a knife.
The victim, who had just arrived at the hospital, was whisked to safety while security staff kept a close watch on the alleged attacker until police arrived.
Footscray inspector Tony Long said police responded to a call of a stabbing at the Western Hospital just prior to 8.30am.
Inspector Long said a number of other people in the foyer at the time came to aid of the victim.
“They have acted very bravely. They have been able to drag [the victim] away and he was taken to the emergency department where treatment was commenced.”
Police are speaking with a number of witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage of the area.
Inspector Long said they were yet to determine a motive for the attack.
“We’re still investigating what his reason was for being at the hospital at this stage.
“Security here at the hospital were able to maintain observation of the suspect and police were at the scene very quickly, within three or four minutes of the call and they were able to take him into custody quite quickly and safely,” Inspector Long said.
The hospital remained open throughout the incident and continues to operate as police investigated the crime scene.
Western Health acting chief executive officer Russell Harrison said the staff and public “have done a remarkable job” in getting the victim to safety.
He said attacks of this nature were “significantly rare”.
“Obviously there are other attacks against hospital staff, but of a less serious nature.
“There are a lot of verbal abuse of staff happens but thankfully these are very, very rare events.”
He said doctors working on the neurosurgeon, in a serious but stable condition, would “be doing a very professional job working with him”.
“The staff that are involved will be debriefed later by appropriate personnel to help them through the trauma that I’m sure they will suffer as a result of this.”
Mr Harrison has called for a review of security arrangements at the hospital.
“We will look at all the processes around what we need to do in these sorts of instances,” he said.
“We have a security team on site, we have CCT cameras and we’re supported by police.”
Mr Harrison said the doctor had only just arrived at work for the day.
“He was turning up for work, he literally parked his car and was coming through the entrance.
“We’re very sorry this has happened to the individual, obviously our thoughts and sympathies are going out to his family. We’re working with staff here to make sure he makes a full recovery.”
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) Secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the federation has been calling on the Victorian Government for more than three years to take violence in hospitals seriously.
“The government has implemented virtually none of the 39 recommendations that came out of its own 2011 parliamentary inquiry into violence and security arrangements in hospitals,” she said.
“Those who work in hospitals, particularly those in the frontline – nurses, midwives and doctors – are being punched, hit, kicked, bitten, choked, knocked unconscious and threatened and attacked with weapons every day.
“Our political leaders must stop ignoring this horrific violence and take immediate action to make hospitals safe.”
The Sunshine North man will appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this afternoon to face charges of attempted murder and serious assault.
