A neurosurgeon who nearly died in a frenzied stabbing attack at Footscray Hospital says hospital staff are still at risk, with security no better despite political promises.
Dr Michael Wong, who was stabbed 13 times in the 2014 attack, last week welcomed the committal of his assailant to a secure mental health hospital.
Kareem Al-Salami, 49, was sentenced 25 years of supervised treatment at Thomas Embling Hospital after being found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of mental impairment.
The Sunshine North man, an Iranian refugee who arrived in Australian in 2010, accosted Dr Wong in the hospital foyer on February 18, 2014. He stabbed Dr Wong in the back, and continued stabbing him as the doctor was on the ground screaming for help.
Al-Salami was arrested by police a short time later as a team of 10 doctors and medical staff performed immediate lifesaving surgery on Dr Wong.
Al-Salami was subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia, delusional disorder and paranoid personality disorder.
Victorian Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said he was under the delusion an operation performed on him by Dr Wong in 2012 had gone wrong, and that Dr Wong was conspiring to cover it up.
In a statement, Dr Wong said he said he felt no anger towards Al-Salami, saying he would now be in a safe place.
But Dr Wong said his assailant’s actions have had a profound impact on his own views about the safety and security of medical staff.
Dr Wong has returned to work, but not at Footscray Hospital. He said hospitals need more security guards, more closed-circuit televisions, and separate accesses for patients and staff.
“I have seen no noticeable improvement in the safety for doctors and nurses in our public hospitals, despite promises in the [2014 state] election campaign,” he said.
“Unless the security system improves, it is inevitable there will be more incidents like mine,” Dr Wong said.
