NEW YORK (VINnews) — A major investigation published by The Australian paints a troubling picture of rising antisemitism in Australia’s healthcare system since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. In various instances, women reported that medical staff endangered their lives, a new mother was allegedly left lying in her own blood after a C-section, and an elderly Jewish patient was mistreated in the hours before his death.

The investigation is based on interviews with more than 30 doctors, nurses, midwives, and other healthcare professionals, who described what they called a hostile environment toward Jews that undermines patient safety and, in some cases, could put lives at risk.

One of the report’s central examples is the cancellation of a trauma medicine conference in Perth, where Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dr. Elon Glassberg, the former Chief Medical Officer of the IDF, was scheduled to present battlefield techniques for treating gunshot and blast injuries developed by the IDF. Organizers canceled the conference after pro-Palestinian doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers threatened large-scale protests over his participation.

Trauma specialists interviewed for the investigation said the cancellation deprived Australian medical teams of the opportunity to learn life-saving techniques from a physician with extensive experience treating mass-casualty incidents. One expert argued the knowledge could have helped prepare responders for attacks such as the deadly Bondi Junction stabbing in Sydney.

According to the report, anti-Israel political activism has spread throughout Australia’s healthcare system since October 7, evolving beyond political expression into antisemitism directed at Jews. Interviewees said this undermines one of medicine’s most fundamental principles: that patient welfare must always come first.

At the same time, a campaign has emerged against Australia’s health regulator over its decision to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. More than 1,400 healthcare workers signed an open letter seeking to influence how antisemitism is defined, objecting in part to provisions concerning denial of Israel’s right to exist and applying double standards to Israel.

Doctors interviewed for the investigation said some healthcare professionals have used their positions to spread antisemitic content, Hamas narratives, and even messages supporting the terrorist organization. They claimed some hospitals and clinics have become arenas for ideological conflict rather than safe spaces for patients.

The report cites multiple incidents across Australian hospitals. Healthcare workers allegedly came to work wearing protest symbols, while anti-Israel stickers appeared inside hospitals. At Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, such stickers were reportedly placed near the bed of an elderly Jewish patient shortly before his death.

The investigation also points to social media posts by doctors and nurses containing hate speech, antisemitic rhetoric, Holocaust comparisons, and support for terrorist organizations. One Jewish doctor said colleagues shared Nazi imagery and antisemitic cartoons while replacing the word “Jews” with “Zionists.”

Many interviewees said Jewish healthcare workers were isolated or targeted because of their identity or views. Some said they resigned after hospital administrators allegedly failed to address complaints of incitement and antisemitism.

The report also revisits the case of two nurses at Bankstown Hospital in Sydney who were allegedly recorded threatening Israeli patients. Following that incident, Jewish patients reportedly began concealing their Jewish identity when admitted to hospitals out of fear they would receive different treatment.

Some of the investigation’s most serious allegations concern direct patient care. Several Jewish women said they were subjected to repeated and painful attempts to insert intravenous lines that they believe exceeded accepted medical practice. In the cases described, the same staff member allegedly attempted the procedure four times, despite hospital nurses saying protocol allows a maximum of two attempts by the same clinician. The report notes that malicious intent is nearly impossible to prove but says similar complaints surfaced repeatedly.

A midwife described a Jewish woman who, she claimed, was left for hours without pain medication after a Caesarean section, lying in a pool of her own blood beside her crying newborn. When a nurse eventually arrived, the witness said she showed little compassion.

Another patient said that while hospitalized in intensive care, a nurse delivered what she described as a lecture denying both the Holocaust and the October 7 attacks. Jewish medical students and residents also reported being ostracized, verbally abused, and afraid to file complaints for fear of harming their careers.

The investigation also criticizes Australia’s healthcare regulators. Many interviewees claimed authorities failed to consistently investigate complaints of antisemitism and, in some cases, closed cases involving doctors accused of posting antisemitic or pro-Hamas content on social media after determining the posts had been made on private accounts.

By contrast, several Jewish and pro-Israel doctors and nurses said coordinated complaints were filed against them after they expressed support for Israel or shared information challenging claims that Israel was committing genocide. Some said they received formal warnings from the regulator.

According to official figures, Australia’s health regulator received 124 complaints related to antisemitism and 97 related to Islamophobia between July 2023 and the end of February this year.

The investigation concludes with the testimony of a Jewish pediatrician who relocated to Israel, saying the atmosphere in Australia had become unbearable for Jews. She said the hospital where she now works employs Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian, and Druze doctors and nurses who treat all patients equally, regardless of identity, arguing that the patient’s well-being must remain the guiding principle of every healthcare system.