Hospital has more than just water issues: Official

LALOKI Psychiatric Hospital staff are trying to make the wards habitable as calls increase to readmit patients, an official says.
Clinical nursing supervisor Jeffery Alphonse told The National yesterday that the lack of piped water was not the only issue facing the reopening of the facility but that it was also in urgent need of a renovation.
Alphonse said extensive damage caused by leaked sewage and hard water from the hospital’s well required thorough cleaning and disinfecting before patients could be readmitted.
“We are using a water cart from an Eda Ranu subcontractor for the cleaning,” he said.
Following the announcement last week to start work on installing piped water, Alphonse said they were advised by Eda Ranu that funding of K1 million was available and a steering committee comprising its engineering team and the Department of Health had been set up.
Alphonse said they were told that the money was half of what was needed for the project, however Eda Ranu would ensure the project was completed because Laloki was the only mental hospital in the country.
He added that the water supplier would work according to its schedule.
“The pipes can be ordered only from its (Eda Ranu) suppliers from Australia or New Zealand.
“Since the pipes are manufactured to order, it will take two to three months for them to get here,” Alphonse said.
“Then they are going to start connecting the pipe from the 9-Mile round-about to the hospital.
Alphonse said the connection of the water would take place next month or in August but they would try to improve the situation on the ground by getting more tanks and rationing water from the carts more efficiently.
He said they would prioritise the forensic ward which treated patients from prisons.
“The ward was cleaned and three general male patients (not from prison) were admitted on Tuesday.
“The women’s ward was also cleaned but the woman who was admitted last week got typhoid and was transferred to the Port Moresby General Hospital.”
Alphonse said they were working on the tiles in the moderate ward and there was more to be done with the acute ward which was in bad condition.