St Vincent’s to take action against cardiologist

St Vincent’s Hospital will take “appropriate next steps” against world-renowned cardiologist Professor Peter Macdonald when he returns from leave, after he promoted conspiracy theories about Israeli involvement in the Adass Israel synagogue and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen attacks in comments at a Palestine Justice Movement Sydney forum.

The statement comes after a group of Jewish doctors demanded the hospital immediately suspend and investigate Macdonald, a heart transplant pioneer who in a 2014 world-first successfully transplanted a heart that had stopped beating for 20 minutes.

The Alliance Against Antisemitism in Healthcare sent a formal complaint to St Vincent’s leadership last week, calling for Macdonald’s “immediate suspension, investigation and termination” following the comments at the Marrickville event, where he claimed it was a “no brainer” that Mossad engineered the firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue and the arson attack on Sydney’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen.

The official findings by ASIO and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was that Iran was responsible.

“Am I being totally naive, or has the lobby taken over ASIO as well?” Macdonald asked the forum.

The complaint described Macdonald’s comments as “textbook antisemitic conspiracy tropes” and “precisely the kind of poisonous myth” that St Vincent’s “must repudiate without hesitation”.

“St Vincent’s hospitals have many Jewish patients, staff and community members who would be rightly appalled by Macdonald’s conduct,” the complaint stated.

The alliance also forwarded the complaint, which demanded Macdonald’s immediate suspension from all clinical, teaching and research roles, an independent investigation, and if facts are confirmed, termination of his association with St Vincent’s, to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, Shadow Minister Kellie Sloane and the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin has written directly to Macdonald, expressing the Jewish community’s alarm at his conspiracy theories.

Ryvchin challenged Macdonald to explain “how a man of science, who has dedicated his career to helping others regardless of their identities, who ordinarily bases decisions on evidence and logical reasoning, could take leave of his faculties and descend into wild fantasies and conspiracy theories, founded in paranoia and prejudice”.

A St Vincent’s spokesperson said in a statement, “Unequivocally, St Vincent’s does not associate itself with the remarks of the employee. St Vincent’s rejects antisemitism, racism, bigotry and hate.

“The staff member who made this comment is currently on leave on an unrelated issue. Upon his return, St Vincent’s will take appropriate next steps in accordance with our internal policies and procedures.

“We want to assure every member of our community – whatever their background and beliefs – that St Vincent’s is a safe harbour from antisemitic or bigoted views.”

In a September 3 podcast interview with Rabbi Mendel Kastel of Sydney’s Jewish House, NSW Health Secretary Susan Pierce highlighted that “the fundamental principle for communities across the state, obviously, including the Jewish community, has to be that the NSW Health System is a safe place”.

She stated that when “confronted with any suggestion that there is any risk to anyone, we have dealt with that promptly and assertively and in a way that I don’t think could be interpreted as equivocal”.

Patients “should be confident when you’re in our care, that we will look after you”.