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BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY
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ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, ING. UPTON, Lil, NY. BOX Ne
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MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
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October 9, 1973
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Mr. Hemos Jilej
Secretary/Treasurer
Rongelap Fallout Survivors Association
C/O Robert R, Harrison
P.O, Box 48
Majuro, Marshall Islands
96960
Dear Hemos,
This is in answer to your recent letter outlining certain requests of the
Rongelap Fallout Survivors Association to our medical team, We are, of course,
very much interested in seeing improvement in the living conditions of the
people on Rongelap. Some of the requests, { should point out should be
directed to others since they are not our responsibility. As I pointed out
in the village meeting at Rongelap last March our only responsibilities are
concerned with health care and not with food, housing etc.
ment on the requests, first stating the request.
:
1.
I will now com-
We would like a doctor to come to Rongelap to live, so that he may
treat our illness’ from day to day.
coming once a year,
This would be better than just
4.
I am very much afraid we cannot’ fullfill the request to have a doctor
living full time at Rongelap, [t is very fortunate for you that we have been
able to persuade Dr, Knudsen to stay in the Marshall Islands another two years
to help the Trust Territory with your health care and to see that the exposed
people take their thyroid medicine, Since there are many Rongelap people
living at Ebeye, Majuro and elsewhere Dr. Knudsen must spend time at these
other islands in addition to Rongelap,
It is hoped that Dr. Knudsen will be
able to visit Rongelap for a period of one to two weeks every three months
(4 times a year) including the annual visit of the medical team for the usual
examinations and for the short September surveys.
‘2.
We xequest that when called to Majuro or Ebeye by the B.N.L, team
that the patient will receive an adequate per-diem to cover all of
his living expenses during his stay,
Se a nen
The people should not confuse B,N.L, responsibility with that of the
Trust Territory with regard to per diem payments of patients, At the present
time the arrangement is for BNL to pay travel expenses to those patients going
to the United States for special treatment such as to the thyroid patients,
In order to help the Trust Territory doctors with regualr medical care of the
people our doctors will sometime recommend that certain people go to Ebeye or
Majuro for treatment, The Trust Territory handles the expenses in those casesnot BNL. If we recommend that any of you-go to the United States for special
5013364
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INFORMATION OPERATOR (516) 348-2123
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