groups, and a number of women on Ebeye called "Voice of Women" who raise money for
hospital equipment and medical supplies and make up some of the local self-help
activities on the more urbanized islands.
A variety of service programs have been introduced to the peoples of the
Marshall Islands, have waned, and have been re-introduced again.
Even with these
various projects, only the surface has been scratched to date, in identifying the
needs and wishes of the people, and in implementing programs on a long term,
consistent basis.
K.
The Marshallese and Health Plans
In contacts with the Marshallese, official and non-official, there seemed to
be general agreement on several issues:
l.
"We have been studied to death,” was a lament heard repeatedly both
in the urban centers and rural atolls.
There is a markedly growing resentment to
the many agencies, commissions, scientists, and other groups that seem to the
Marshallese to be
an
endless
stream of people who come,
measurements, conduct surveys, and disappear.
ask questions,
do
The officials object strongly to
the fact that no reports of the findings are made available to them in their offficial capacity as the governing body of the Marshall Islands.
People want
results and want to see the outcome of all these studies.
2.
There is a growing resentment to the de-facto lack of recognition of
“proper channels" of official communication.
A very high ranking government
official said: "By not working directly through the leadership, the United States
could cause i1] feelings amongst the people of the Marshall Islands.
they can
accelerate
Marshall Islands. . .
differences
of
the
feelings
of,
should
I
say,
I think -
separatism, within the
Any attempt to work from the bottom up could bring about
opinions,
individual
griefs,
and feelings of segmentations
because the Marshall Islands as you know is composed of 24 atolls.
differently, quite frankly.
But we have decided to stand united as one under the
Constitution of the Marshall Islands.
avenue of the constitution.
All think
Working from the top down, we can use that
I think we can accelerate the feeling of unity among.
the people."
3.
The Marshallese have developed a seemingly irreversible psychology
that the U.S. owes them, by right, a comprehensive health care system--for al]
the Marshallese on all the islands and atolls.
It is important to review here the
arguments used by the leaders of thought and the leaders of government for such a
demand.
One high ranking official put it this way:
13