Médecins Sans Frontières forced to withdraw staff because authorities cannot ensure hospital security

On 15 December 2009, Médecins Sans Frontières announced its withdrawal of all international staff from a hospital in Tari, Papua New Guinea because of continued insecurity on hospital grounds. “In the past few weeks, there have been repeated security incidents including threats to our staff that we cannot tolerate.” says Monique Nagelkerke, head of mission for Médecins Sans Frontières in the country. “Our staff must be safe to provide urgent lifesaving care and the authorities must do everything they can to ensure a safe working environment for all staff at the Tari Hospital.”

In the past few weeks, there have been at least 10 security incidents including threats made to Médecins Sans Frontières staff by hospital security guards, and drunken men on hospital grounds threatening hospital staff with weapons and repeated break-ins.

Authorities have made promises to address these issues by repairing the fence, and firing the guards who cause problems and replacing them, but so far nothing has been done. Despite trying to assist in increasing security at the hospital, local police are unable to respond in a timely manner because they lack adequate resources.

Médecins Sans Frontières will continue to try to run programs with a limited Papua New Guinean staff presence but will have to refer surgical patients to other facilities for treatment at this time.  Médecins Sans Frontières hopes local staff and all medical and humanitarian workers will be safe and protected as they work in Tari and throughout Papua New Guinea.

In a country where appropriate medical and psychosocial services for survivors of violence are largely non-existent, Médecins Sans Frontières strives to address the immediate needs of victims. In Tari Hospital, our staff provide comprehensive emergency surgical services as well as integrated medical and psychosocial care for survivors of sexual and family violence.

Throughout 2009, Médecins Sans Frontières has treated more than 4,500 patients in Tari and has been running a women and children’s support centre in the city of Lae. The support centre has served close to 5,000 survivors of sexual and gender-based violence since 2008. Recently, Médecins Sans Frontières has been assisting the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation in responding to an outbreak of cholera that has affected more than 1,300 people in three provinces since November 2009.

Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent medical humanitarian organisation that has been operating in Papua New Guinea since 2007.