A Melbourne father has taken his grievances with the medical system to new heights – literally. The 51-year-old man was arrested yesterday after scaling the RMIT Design Hub building in the CBD, sparking a tense four-hour standoff with authorities.
The protester, reportedly from Clayton, began his daring ascent around 5 am yesterday, using a harness to hook onto the building’s decorative exterior. Perched 40 metres up, he unfurled banners targeting Monash Health, turning heads in the bustling city centre.
When asked by 7 News about his motives, the man didn’t mince words: “Because of the injustice. The corruption in the medical system from the top down.”
The high-stakes stunt forced the closure of parts of Swanston and Victoria streets. As the protester attempted to unveil a second sign, police negotiators faced increased challenges.
“The fact that he was continuing to try and put those other banners up did make it more difficult for us to negotiate,” Acting Senior Sergeant Shane Murphy told 7 News.
The father’s issues with the healthcare system reportedly stems from an incident involving his child at Monash Health back in 2016. His banners, though difficult to decipher from ground level, made some serious allegations against the hospital.
One sign read: “Monash Children’s Hospital & Monash Health are run by criminals!” It went on to claim that in 2016, a four-and-a-half-year-old child suffered a major disability due to the “incompetence and negligence” of the neurosurgery team.
The poster listed a series of accusations, including “intended, planned and organised medical abuse on the child”, “lied repeatedly to the parents”, and “fabricated the medical records with lies”.
When approached for comment, Monash Health provided PEDESTRIAN.TV with the following statement: “While we cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, we can confirm that the child in question was a patient at Monash Health in 2016,” the statement read.
“The care provided was thoroughly investigated, and no misconduct was found. Patient safety remains paramount at Monash Health, and we fully support our clinicians in delivering high-quality care.”
This incident comes hot on the heels of another healthcare-related attack in the US, where prime suspect Luigi Mangione allegedly shot the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brain Thompson.
Mangione reportedly had grievances with the American private healthcare system, with investigators finding shell casings at the crime scene inscribed with the words “deny”, “defend”, and “depose” – possibly referencing tactics used by insurance companies to reject patient claims.
Luigi has now garnered mass support for his alleged actions online, with fans who are also frustrated with healthcare systems around the world.
Similarly, this Melbourne protester has received some support for his actions on a TikTok video posted about the event
“I already seen so much corruption and how broken the health system even in public hospitals.. I do not want to be part of this broken system,” said one commenter.
“Good someone needs to speak,” another said.
It is not confirmed whether or not the man is still in custody or has has any charges laid against him. When PEDESTRIAN.TV reached out to Victoria Police, they explained that they no further updates on the situation.
Lead image: Reddit/ @melakkhaleelarts via TikTok
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