Sukhbir Seehra’s day at work as a mental health nurse in the psychiatric emergency room at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) started like any other.
But it descended into chaos when a patient disagreed with a doctor’s decision.
“The doctor told him, ‘You will be discharged,'” Seehra said.
“Obviously, he didn’t like the result.
“He became agitated and started pacing back and forth in the room.”
What happened next during the 2019 incident and how Seehra responded earned her a national award for bravery.
‘I’m going to blow this place up’
Seehra said she tried to calm the man down, but his behavior escalated.
“I heard the phrase, he said it, ‘I’m going to blow this place up,'” he recalls.
“He was putting his hands around his waist area where one of my colleagues and I saw, like, a red colored wire around it.”
Seehra immediately contacted the police.
“That was a bit of a scary moment,” he said.
“He was taking all the patients out of the common area and asking them to go out on the patio.
“The security chairman and the security officer didn’t want to touch him because we didn’t know what he was wearing.”
When the patient attempted to attack the arriving police officers, Seehra grabbed the man’s arms to help subdue him.
Having wrestled for control, Seehra said he and officers figured out which one was the red wire.
a coat rack
“There are [also] a little slingshot, he has some stones in his pocket, that was his intention, to hit us with that thing,” says Mr. Seehra.
Governor General’s Commendation
Mr. Seehra’s response to the incident resulted in him being decorated by the Governor General, David Hurley, for his brave conduct.
When contacted about the award, Seehra said he thought he was being pranked.
“I told this story to one of my classmates and I thought they might be calling me and telling me this,” he laughed.
But once he realized the award was authentic, he felt good about being recognized.
“I think it’s very special to have him,” he said.
“Whenever I go out somewhere, being on social media, some people recognize me and congratulate me on the street.
“I’m pretty proud. Something nice to share with the kids.”
Metro North Hospital and Health service, which oversees RBWH, commended Mr. Seehra for his actions and his praise, saying incidents like the one he intervened in were reviewed to help prepare the hospital’s responses.
Mr. Seehra moved from Punjab in India to Rockhampton in 2007 to study for his Bachelor of Nursing at CQ University.
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