Sources have confirmed to SBS Hindi that the victim is of Indian origin. The patient allegedly slashed her many times with two knives. A man has been arrested.
According to police, the incident took place at about 9.30pm on Monday when "the 35-year-old woman commenced her duties as a registered nurse and was tasked with looking after a 47-year-old male patient.
"During her shift – about 10 pm – the patient allegedly started behaving erratically while on the ward, walking into patient’s rooms and taking photos with his mobile phone. He walked into the staff room where he allegedly armed himself with two knives. The nurse followed him into the staff room, unaware that he was armed, and attempted to help him back to his room," police said in a statement.
"The patient allegedly slashed the nurse with the knives cutting her wrist and slashing her clothing. She managed to escape the staff room as an elderly male patient came to her aid by closing the staff room door and keeping the armed patient confined to the room until the arrival of security and police."
The patient was disarmed and later arrested by the Officers from Blacktown Police Area Command.
Security of hospital staff has been a contentious issue.
In 2011, nurses walked off the job in protest in 2011 when female staff member Edith Castro-Rivera was stabbed at the same hospital. Ms Castro-Rivera was reported to have been attacked by a hospital patient armed with a butter knife.
