A heart surgeon who went to school in New Zealand has been bashed at a Melbourne hospital and, if he survives the attack, will likely suffer serious brain damage according to a colleague.
Dr Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann allegedly asked a man to stop smoking in a non-smoking area at Box Hill hospital and was king hit from behind, knocking him unconscious.
The father of two is now in a critical condition with a “devastating” brain injury, according to Royal Australasian College of Surgeons chair of trauma Dr John Crozier.
“The probability of death from a single punch, I think, is very high at this stage,” Dr Crozier tells the Daily Mail Australia.
The German-born doctor went to Hillcrest High School in Hamilton and Otago University.
If Dr Pritzwald-Stegmann wakes up from his coma, Dr Crozier believes he will “almost certainly” never work as a surgeon again and “may well not be the same person that his wife married”.
“This is the point of greatest potential in a surgical career. This is a devastating tragedy on so many planes.”
Joseph Esmaili, 22, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court today under charges of intentionally causing serious injury before fleeing the scene and did not apply for bail.
Esmaili was visiting a patient with friends and his defence lawyer said he was experiencing drug withdrawal symptoms.
Dr Pritzwald-Stegmann was attacked in the foyer of the hospital and the whole incident was captured on CCTV, which Prosecutor Ashleigh Harrold says will make identification of the accused straightforward.
The Australian Medical Association condemned the attack and warned that violence against staff had become a common occurrence.
“You should be able to turn up to work and not be abused, threatened or assaulted,” The AMA Victorian president, Lorraine Baker said.
“Violence and aggression towards healthcare workers must stop.”
