Complaint letter emerges after Melbourne hospital’s decision to cancel ‘children and war’ panel angers staff | Health

Doctors suddenly canceled a planned panel debate about the effects of the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) about the effects of the war on child health, after receiving a letter that claims that the activity will pose a risk for Jewish staff and patients.

The “Children and War” event was planned on September 17 as part of all personnel meetings, weekly education and professional development known as Rch’s “Grand Raunds .. It was defined as the research of nasıl what the war means for children and how can health professionals can help to protect and look affected ”.

Rch CEO Peter Steer, seen by Guardian Australia. Peter Steer, Sydney -based psychiatrist Doron Samuell argued that the incident should be canceled on the basis that Jewish personnel or patients would be subjected to the risk of “moral injury, Vicarious trauma and harmful workplace behaviors”. The letter was copied in 9 September and Worksafe Victoria.

Samuell wrote that he was “accidentally provided”[es] A platform for groups that are hateful against Israel and its supporters, who make partisan campaigns ”.

The groups listed in this way were Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the prevention of war, the Medical Association (MAPW) and the removal of nuclear weapons (ICAN).

The speakers of the event, ICAN’s founding partner, who received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, Prof Tilman Ruff; MAPW President Dr Sue Wareham; Rch’s Migrant Health Service Head, Assistant Prof Georgia Paxton; Alison Moebus, MSF pediatric nurse, working in Gaza recently; and Asia Pacific Refugee Founder Najeeba Wazefadost network.

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The letter of complaints from Samuell included “Content on War”, “sad expressions about child losses” and “high -profile defenders criticizing Israel, triggered the conflict of identity -based conflict in the event, and included a perceived license for the distribution of Jewish identities.

“A hospital branded session, dominated by such advocacy, points to hostility to Jewish identities and increases the risk of moral injury, Vicarious trauma and harmful workplace behaviors, Sam he wrote.

Samuell signed the logo of the alliance of Australian anti -Semitism in Healthcare, a group of 2024.

When approached about the letter of Guardian Australia, Samuell said that the medical large tours were designed to host separatist political messages in a prestigious hospital, in a prestigious hospital. that you need to.

On Thursday, September 11, he wrote to Steer panel participants saying that he had decided not to continue the event on security reasons. “This decision is not the importance of the issue itself, but the risk of focusing on child health, not the importance of child health, and our staff and welfare can be useless in the risk of difficulty,” he wrote.

It is not known whether the letter is directly linked to the decision and how many complaints about the activity.

Guardian Australia understands that this was the first time a large tour was canceled by RCH.

More than 1,600 letters were sent as part of a campaign that requested the event to be restored, and more than 800 people signed an open letter that called the same thing during writing.

MSF General Manager Jennifer Tierney, the organization has worked for decades in the war zones, including Gaza and said, “MSF’s medical action is based on the principles of impartiality, thus we will provide medical care based on politics or religion alone.”

Tierney is disturbing that public medical institutions in Australia cannot host the human and medical consequences of war in the war, ”Tierney said.

“There should be nothing controversial about accepting children’s suffering in conflict. For MSF, treating patients and witnessing their pain is a medical task and solidarity.”

Wareham said Mappw’s claim that he was dealing with a “hateful campaign” was “completely wrong and deprived of a piece of evidence”.

“The Israeli government is on the basis of evidence.”

Rch spokesman said in a statement that the decision to cancel the incident reflects our responsibility to ensure feedback and prosperity of our people ”.

“[I]T is essential that all staff can work in an environment where they feel safe. After meeting with the staff, it was clear that continuing in this session would not meet this commitment. ”

“The hospital does not change the unchanging commitment to provide health care for children affected by war, crisis and violence. This remains at the center of our work mission.”