GINNAH MINI-UPNG Journalism student
HEALTH Minister Hon. Elias Kapavore gave his assurance to the Laloki Hospital staff that the government is taking steps to make sure that Laloki Psychiatric Clinic would become one of the most trusted health facilities in PNG.
“We will restore confidence and pride, and we will make this place one of the best mental health institutes in our country,” said Minister Kapavore.
Minister Kapavore noted that the hospital account had K2600 last week and has committed K1 million to Laloki so that its operation can continue and the funds can be used for the right purpose.
“The story for Laloki is not over; the story is to do resetting and rebuilding process, and we are putting in necessary interventions so that people can be happy to get good services,” said Minister Kapavore.
He said that since the implementation of the Mental Act 2015, there have been a lot of inconveniences, so to make Laloki great again, the act will be seen through and repealed if need be.
Julie Bawa, the drug and alcohol officer at Laloki Psychiatric Hospital, thanked the Minister and the Government for finally giving attention to the hospital after years of neglect.
“The hospital was going into a distressful time, and we thought we were going to shut it down, but thank you Minister and Marape-Rosso Government, for resuscitating this hospital again,” said Bawa.
Bawa said that the staff are looking forward to working in close collaboration for the betterment of the hospital and the patients.
The new acting CEO for Laloki, Dr. Ludwig Nanawar, said that he is looking forward to seeing changes as the year goes by and making Laloki not only a rehabilitation center but also a research, training, and community-based treatment center.
Laloki is at Level 3, which is equivalent to a health center; therefore, the staff is looking forward to bringing it to level 6 to make it the best facility in the country.
