A 42-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly sabotaging gas supplies at two Sydney hospitals, an act the New South Wales health minister described as potentially catastrophic. Police allege the woman cut the non-medical gas supply and water mains at Kareena Private Hospital in Caringbah at 12:20am on Tuesday, before switching off the gas main at nearby Sutherland Hospital at 1:30am.
The loss of gas forced Sutherland Hospital to switch to portable oxygen and air as part of contingency plans, according to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park. Park said the cause of the loss of gases was alleged to be deliberate sabotage, and that the act could have been catastrophic. He noted that a person allegedly scaled a wall and gained access to a restricted area at Sutherland Hospital.
The woman was arrested in Miranda at around 4am on Tuesday for breach of bail. She was charged with two counts of public nuisance, two counts of entering prescribed premises without lawful excuse, sabotage, destroying or damaging property, and breach of bail. Additionally, she faces charges of tampering with a fire alarm and trespass on protected premises related to an incident at a Darlinghurst hostel on Monday.
Park assured the community that gas systems were restored within approximately two hours and that there was no impact on patient care. Ramsay Health Care, which operates Kareena Private Hospital, confirmed all services were quickly restored with minimal disruption. The woman was refused bail and is scheduled to appear before Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday.
