NDA condemns attack on doctor

THE National Doctors Association has condemned the actions of the relatives of the deceased leukaemia patients at the Goroka Base Hospital last week.
Vice-president of the association Dr Joseph Garap said NDA totally condemn the actions of frustrated relatives and the criminal elements targeting doctors who were doing all they could. 
He said the lack of facilities and equipment in all hospitals throughout the country was not the doctors’ fault, adding that the government and the authorities were directly responsible.
He said the leukaemia patient in Goroka had his result sent to Port Moresby pathology service for confirmation but died while waiting for the results.
He said it was not the doctors’ fault and the relatives should understand that many of the doctors were struggling with the outdated and limited medical equipment and the deteriorating facilities.
Garap said taking grievances against medical workers would not help but only force them to leave which would deny the rights of many other people who seek medical assistance.
“We appeal to relatives not to release their frustrations on doctors. Many doctors are highly trained overseas and know their job but they are ill-equipped,” he said.
He said doctors were bound by ethics and they would treat every patient with care but the public should also understand that doctors could not perform miracles when the facilities were not there.
Garap said many of the equipment were outdated and yet they were still using them.
He added that technology had changed and some of the doctors who were trained overseas were used to using the latest equipment and coming back to PNG hospitals and working with the old equipment made it difficult but they tried to utilise them to their best of their ability.
He said the NDA was now calling on the police and the hospital management to immediately apprehend the suspects and lay appropriate charges so that such attack on doctors would not be repeated.
He said innocent doctors should not be victims of the failure of the authorities and the government in improving the services in the hospitals.