The management of the Accident and Emergency Department at Port Moresby General Hospital in Papua New Guinea have threatened to shut it down unless a liquor ban is immediately put in place for this weekend.
The Post Courier reports that the tough stance has been taken by the chief of emergency medicine, Dr Sam Yockopua.
He made the call after his unit attended to more than 30 emergency trauma cases, mostly resulting from drunken brawls, in just three days during last weekend's Christmas festivities.
This included two people brought to the A&E who died, four who are in life threatening states after being admitted with knife wounds and several people treated for knife slash wounds, bruises and other minor injuries.
Dr Yockopua says such cases are unnecessary and preventable and the alarming surge in such violent injuries over the festive season is a direct result of excessive consumption of and abuse of alcohol.
He says he cannot allow his staff to be abused, overworked, outnumbered and under resourced.
