An extra surgical theatre had to be opened up at the Port Moresby General Hospital to cater for the influx of patients presenting to the hospital’s Emergency department.
Hospital staff said with 40 severe trauma cases including cases having been attended to by the hospital following New Year’s celebrations in Port Moresby, all being alcohol related, it was a necessary step the hospital had to take.
Surgical Coordinator of the Port Moresby General Hospital, Dr Noah Tapaua, said an emergency meeting had to be called on Saturday to implement an emergency plan to cater for the alarming increase of trauma cases as sanctioned by the hospital’s CEO Dr Paki Molumi.
“We are opening up an extra theatre to cater for the situation that we have,” said Dr Noah Tapaua.
“From today until Wednesday we are going to attend to these people to try and give them back that life and I hope that they can rethink and do something better rather than consume alcohol.”
Dr Tapaua is calling on chief alcohol distributors in the country to also take responsibility of this situation and control the sale of alcohol to the community, saying that this has never happened before and hopes that this will be the last of its kind.
