St Vincent’s crisis triage: heart doctor Macdonald back on the wards after witchhunt
After nearly seven weeks, senior cardiologist Professor Peter Macdonald returned to work at St Vincent’s Hospital today. Wendy Bacon reports.
When three doctors from the Alliance on Antisemitism in Healthcare accused Macdonald of antisemitism, the hospital announced that it would launch an investigation. Thousands of letters from the public, including past patients, were sent to the hospital in support of the famous cardiologist.
Although the terms of any settlement are not public, a sign that Macdonald has successfully pushed back against his accusers emerged early Friday morning with a statement implying he was “guilty”:The article “Antisemitism, racism, bigotry and hatred”, which had been on the website of St Vincent Hospital for 7 weeks, has been removed.
But Macdonald still has not returned to his research position at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, which said it was conducting an investigation into the circumstances of his comment. (Watch our next story on Victor Chang).
Where is Paul? Inside St Vincent’s and Victor Chang’s attack on cardiologist
Wendy Bacon is an investigative journalist who is Professor of Journalism at UTS. He has worked for Fairfax, Channel Nine and SBS and has written in The Guardian, New Matilda, City Hub and Overland. It has a long history of promoting independent and alternative journalism.
He is a long-term supporter of peaceful BDS and the Greens.
