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By ANDREW ALPHONSE
HEALTH authorities in Tari, Southern Highlands province, have denied
media reports that people living with AIDS were ‘buried alive’ in the
area.
Last week, Margaret Marabe, a person living with the HIV/AIDS, claimed
in a front page article of Post-Courier that she witness HIV/AIDS
patients being buried alive by relatives in Tari.
The report shocked the local people and international donor agencies
that fund the fight against HIV/AIDS in PNG.
One of the donors reportedly ordered the Catholic Diocesan Health
Services in Mendi to conduct an investigation into the claim to verify
the reports. Acting medical superintendent for Tari Michael Ekalia told
The National from Tari yesterday that the report was ‘totally untrue’
and painted a wrong impression about the Tari people.
“There were no HIV/AIDS patients buried alive in Tari and the entire
Hela region. The report is totally false,” Mr Ekalia said.
The Catholic HIV/AIDS Care Centre at Kupari in Tari also denied the
report, while angry relatives of people who have died from AIDS said
they gave decent burials to them, fitting of human beings.
Mr Ekalia said the report had also painted a bad image of Hela people as
careless people who have no concern for the dignity of human beings to
dish out such inhuman treatments like burying patients alive.
Mr Ekalia said Ms Marabe and Post-Courier should apologise to the people
of Tari for the bad picture the report had painted on the people of
Tari, adding that the Hela people are among the very few tribal group in
the country that give decent burial to their loved ones.
Mr Ekalia said since 1987, when the first HIV case was detected, the
hospital had registered 146 HIV/AIDS cases and staff give weekly
counselling to those affected.
 
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