Hospital raises fees

 A COMMUNITY leader in Hela has welcomed the decision by hospital authorities to charge higher fees for those injured in tribal fights.

Former Pi-Nakia councillor, Hiru Olape from the Tari-Pori district, said the Mendi General Hospital management would force people to think twice about being involved in tribal fights.

He said the province had seen too many tribal fights, resulting in wounded patients filling up hospitals, health centres and aid posts and putting an extra burden on health workers.

“They (wounded people) must be charged K1,000 as this will be a warning to stop tribal fights,” he said.

Mendi General Hospital chief executive officer Joseph Turian increased fees for patients with knife and bullet wounds seeking treatment at the hospital.

Turian said this was to discourage people from engaging in tribal conflicts and using the hospital resources when they were injured.

Olape said tribal fights had resulted in thousands of deaths, destruction of government and private property.

He suggested Tari Hospital must do the same and conduct awareness to stop people engaging in tribal fights. 

“We cannot continue to live in our old ways. We need to change,” he said.

Olape said there was a big fight raging at Kagua in the Kagua-Erave district. 

He urged hospitals and health centres to charge high fees for those  wounded.