Samiuela Mafi, a psychiatric nurse, passed away yesterday at Vaiola Hospital after succumbing to injuries sustained during an attack by a mental health patient at Hu’atolitoli Prison over a week ago.
This tragedy comes amidst growing concerns about severe overcrowding at Tonga’s largest prison. Earlier reports indicate that inmates with mental health issues were transferred from the Psychiatric Ward at Vaiola Hospital to the Psychiatric Unit at the prison, further straining resources and making it difficult to manage the inmates.
A statement from Hu’atolitoli Prison said that they’ve tried to tell Government that the prison is understaffed but “with little success”, leaving the Psychiatric Unit vulnerable to problems such as this fatal incident.
“This incident highlights the critical situation at Hu’atolitoli Prison,” said a spokesperson for the Tongan Nurses Association. “Overcrowding creates a dangerous environment for both staff and inmates, especially those with mental health needs.”
The Prison Commissioner, Semisi Tapueluelu, previously acknowledged the overcrowding problem, saying that the prison’s 51 cells, designed for single occupancy, were sometimes forced to house up to 180 inmates.
Reports suggest the overcrowding is due to factors like increased drug offenses and a lack of dedicated facilities for juvenile offenders. Dr Mapa Puloka who heads the psychiatric facility at Vaiola hospital said that the explosion in drug use in Tonga in recent years had led to more psychiatric cases.
A 2021 US Department of State report echoed these concerns, highlighting overcrowding at Hu’atolitoli Prison’s psychiatric facility due to rising societal issues with substance abuse and mental illness. The report further noted that in 2021, cells designed for one person housed up to four, and the prison lacked a separate facility for female psychiatric patients.
It seems that these conditions have persisted leading up to this tragic incident.
According to the statement from the Prison, Mafi was attacked after he interrupted a quarrel between two psychiatric patients where Mafi then allegedly assaulted one of the patients by slapping the patient on the face.
Shortly after the quarrel was stopped, the patient whom Mafi assaulted entered the office where Mafi had gone to rest because he wasn’t feeling well and struck Mafi a few times with an unidentified object causing serious injuries to his head.
Mafi’s death has sparked renewed calls for immediate action to address overcrowding and improve safety measures at Hu’atolitoli Prison.
