Maxtone-Graham condemns killing of mentally-ill patients

By STEPHANIE BAWO
HEALTH Minister and Anglimp-South Waghi MP Jamie Maxtone-Graham has condemned the alleged killing of two mentally-ill patients from the Laloki Psychiatric Hospital.
He said as a signatory to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights to protect all citizens, including mentally-ill patients, such incidents should not be tolerated.
“I want to make sure that such incidents do not occur again and I will ensure that the security of the patients and staff at Laloki Hospital are improved,” Maxtone-Graham said.
PNG Community Health Workers Association general secretary James Amuna  had asked Central police commander and Laloki landowners to screen settlers and identify houses harbouring criminals so they could be evicted immediately.
He said the criminal activities had been going on for a long time but landowners and the police were not working together to solve the problem.
The two mentally-ill patients were part of 13 who escaped from the hospital on two separate occasions last month.
Eleven patients were recaptured while two were found dead in the Laloki River several metres from the hospital with wounds on their bodies.