Wounded veteran porter dies in hospital

 VETERAN Black Cat Trail porter Lionel Aigilo died on Sunday night after five days of waiting for medical care and treatment at the Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae.

He is the third to die after a gang killed two local porters, injured others and attacked eight expatriate trekkers along the Black Cat Trail last Tuesday.

Aigilo, from Logui village in Salamaua, had both his legs slashed and was awaiting amputation when he died.

He had been an active guide and porter along the Black Cat Trail since 2003 when trekking companies started operating there.

Bulolo MP Sam Basil, who visited the injured in hospital, said there was a lack of medicine and drugs to treat them. Both overseas and local media also reported of the shortage of medical staff and operating theatres at Angau to cater for the eight Black Cat Trail porters.

EMTV last week showed footage of the badly injured porters lying on the floor because there were no beds.

Black Cat Trail Association chairman Ninga Yawa told The National yesterday that it took the death of Aigilo to spur operator, PNG Trekking Adventures, into action by moving the seven remaining survivors to the Lae International Hospital.

“Lionel and the other porters were in hospital for almost a week, however, the treatment given to them was not good,” Yawa said.

“I wanted PNG Trekking to put them in a good hospital, as they worked hard to make money for the company. But it was only this (yesterday) morning, after the death of Lionel, that they were moved to Lae International Hospital.

“We need some assistance from the government.”