Vic, a 73-year-old pensioner, claims he was choked and forcibly restrained by a security guard at Melbourne’s Monash Health Moorabbin Hospital after expressing his desire to leave the facility.
He had sought medical treatment for a throat cyst and emphysema in March last year but says he became upset with the quality of care and asked to be transferred to another hospital. According to Vic, the situation escalated when the security guard refused to let him leave, allegedly grabbing his throat and pushing him into a chair.
“I was disgusted with how I was being treated… he wouldn’t let me go. I was his property,” Vic said, recalling the incident. Recently obtained body-worn camera footage shows him pleading, “That’s me throat, you’re hurting me throat,” as he was restrained.
Monash Health maintains that Vic was the aggressor in the situation, stating in an email that he had “taken hold of a fire extinguisher still on the wall,” which made staff feel threatened.
Vic, however, insists he was the victim of excessive force and has been pursuing justice for over a year. “What they did to me was terrible, and nobody cares,” he said, describing how difficult it still is to watch the footage 15 months later.
He has filed complaints with both Monash Health and Victoria Police and claims he has received little support. “I’m like an old tin can that’s been kicked down the road,” he told 9News.
In response, a Monash Health spokesperson said that the hospital has a responsibility to protect both staff and patients and that a thorough internal review found all actions taken were appropriate. They added, “We are unable to provide further comment due to strict patient privacy obligations.”
