Papua New Guinea's Health Minister has warned public hospital chief executives will be held accountable if their staff continue to mistreat disabled persons, old people or others who are exempted from paying fees for medical attention.
The Post Courier newspaper reports that Sasa Zibe's warning came while commenting on allegations by the former CEO of the National Mental Health services, Paulus Kororo, about hospital staff failing to uphold general medical ethics in the workplace.
Mr Kororo says discrimination against people living with disability, old people and others exempted from paying the fees at public hospitals remains rife.
Mr Zibe says there is a Hospital Act and all the staff working in the public hospitals, health centres and clinics should be aware of it as well as their medical ethics.
However he says what has been happening over time is clearly ignorance.
