Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

PNG psychiatric hospital in urgent need of overhaul

Posted at 19:11 on 01 November, 2012 UTC

The management of Papua New Guinea’s national referral psychiatric hospital says it needs a complete overhaul at the cost of about 200 million US dollars.

The Post Courier newspaper reports the acting chief executive, Yamele Getzo, as saying the Laloki hospital needs staff, has to cope with shortages of drugs, food, cleaning equipment and water.

He says the hospital is overcrowded, with a number of patients forced to sleep on the floor.

The hospital also has to cope with a high prevalence of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis while there has been a recent typhoid outbreak.

Mr Getzo says the hospital is a dangerous place with constant fights, some resulting in serious injury.

The paper says the Minister for Health Michael Malabag has assured the hospital staff he is aware of the problems and that the government is committed to health and education.