Rex’s inquiry this month

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By GEORGINA KOREI
A CORONIAL inquiry into the suspicious death of a 14-year-old boy at a public hospital in Port Moresby will begin in two weeks’ time, a magistrate says.
Magistrate Josephine Kilage said the full coroner’s inquiry into the death of Rex Wanzing will run from Aug 15-19.
Presiding at the inquest panel on Friday were Magistrates Kilage and Annie Turi. Kilage read out the names of the witnesses who were mostly doctors and gave them dates and times of when to attend the inquest as scheduled.
Lillian Kauba representing doctors at the Port Moresby General Hospital said that the doctors had agreed on attending the inquiry as witnesses on the scheduled dates.
“There are no issues with the scheduled dates as doctors have made their consultations and will be available before the panel to testify as witnesses,” she said.
Kauba was unable to present the independent inquiry report to the panel on Friday but said to follow up with the Health Department secretary to get the report.
Kilage told Kauba that she could bring in the independent report during the full coroner’s inquiry to present to the panel.
“If it’s not available between Aug 15-19, you can bring it after or if it is not available at all then the panel will make its findings and rely on the evidences that is before the panel,” she said.
Police prosecutor Snr Constable Rebecca Malken told the panel that the parents of the deceased had agreed to testify as witnesses on Aug 15 along with the doctors.
Wanzing, 14, had died while undergoing an eye surgery at the Port Moresby General Hospital in August last year.