Wounds of Wewak, Papua New Guinea

Wounds encountered in the outpatients (A&E) department of Wewak General Hospital in Papua New Guinea were observed during a 3-week visit. A series of 14 accidental wounds and nine resulting from attack were analysed. It was found that there were predisposing social factors of alcohol, conjugal disputes and 'payback' retribution attacks. Physical factors affecting the outcome were nutritional status and a high rate of wound infection. Broken bottles and cans caused some of the injuries. Many aspects of the problem were thus the same as in the UK, but the resources available to help the patients were much more limited.