Hagen doctors to return to work

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday August 5th, 2013

 By JAMES APA GUMUNO

HOSPITAL staff have smoked the peace pipe with people from Moge Akelga following an assault on a doctor last month that triggered off a protest by his colleagues.

The 31 doctors at the Mt Hagen Referral Hospital had staged a protest following the attack and demanded an apology from locals. They will return to work from today.

The locals admitted that they assaulted the doctor inside the surgical ward because he had turned up for work under the influence of alcohol and failed to save the life of a patient, Anis Kaip.

The reconciliation ceremony last Friday was witnessed by the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority chief executive officer Dr James Kintwa.

Kaip’s cousin, Paul Kiap, said they regretted what had happened but they believed that had the doctor attended to Kaip quickly, he would still be alive.

He said they took the doctor to the police station but police said they didn’t have the equipment to find out the amount of alcohol in his body.

He said they would apologise to the doctor later and give him some sort of compensation.

Kintwa told the people that it was hard trying to attract doctors to the province.

“When you continue to attack doctors, they will not stay to serve you,” he said.