Hospital alias incident demands full investigation, says opposition
The NSW Leader of the Opposition has reacted strongly to reports that a Jewish woman injured in the Bondi Beach attack last month had her name changed “to protect her”.
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Kellie Sloane visit the Bondi Beash site Photo: Bianci di Marchi/AAP
Kellie Sloane said that reports that Rosalia Shikhverg, a Jewish victim of the Bondi Beach attack, had her name altered to an anglicised alias to “protect her” while being treated at Liverpool Hospital are deeply troubling.
In a statement, Kellie Sloane, the Liberal MP for Vaucluse, said that using an alias without the patient’s consent undermines confidence and warrants further investigation.
She wrote: “Hospitals must be places where every patient feels safe, respected, and supported, regardless of background or belief.
While the Health Minister has acknowledged that the situation “could have been handled better,” this matter requires more than expressions of regret.
There must be a full and transparent investigation into how and why this decision was made, whether proper consent procedures were followed, and what safeguards failed.
If staff were allegedly concerned about protecting Mrs Shikhverg from media, what was the basis for that concern? Additionally, were any other Jewish shooting victims at other hospitals required to have aliases? And if not, why did this only occur at Liverpool?
The NSW Opposition has previously called for the Government to commission an independent review of workplace culture across NSW public hospitals, with a specific focus on identifying and addressing antisemitism and ensuring that all patients can access care without fear or discrimination.
Jewish Australians, like all Australians, must be able to trust that our public hospitals are safe places for them to receive care under their own names and identities.”
