By CHARLENE MACAULAY
A 48-YEAR-OLD North Sunshine man has been charged with attempted murder over a stabbing at Footscray’s Western Hospital this morning.
Kareem Al-Salami was formally charged at the Footscray Police station and was taken to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a remand hearing, where he did not seek bail.
The charge comes after the stabbing of 43-year-old neurosurgeon Dr Michael Wong, who walked into the Western Hospital foyer around 8.30am last Tuesday to start his shift when he was stabbed multiple times over various parts of his body, causing life-threatening injuries.
A number of people were in the foyer at the time of the attack and quickly came to the aid of Dr Wong, taking him away for life-saving surgery.
Footscray police were called to the hospital just before 8.30am, where the offender immediately dropped the knife and surrendered.
Inspector Tony Long said it was believed the offender may have pointed the knife at other people, but no-one else was injured.
Dr Wong is a full time neurosurgeon and spinal surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Head of Neurosurgery at the Western Hospital. He also consults and operates at Epworth Eastern Hospital and John Fawkner Hospital.
He looks after patients with intracranial problems, spinal problems and peripheral nerves disorder and has a special interest in Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery.
Dr Wong remained in a serious but stable condition as the time Star went to print.
Insp Long praised the quick thinking and bravery of the hospital staff and members of the public that helped Dr Wong after the attack.
Western Health directed patients and visitors to other hospital entrances last Tuesday as police cordoned off the Gordon St entrance and foyer as a crime scene.
Western Health acting CEO Russell Harrison said these kinds of attacks against hospital staff were “significantly rare”.
