Health Services
A.
Administration
It is proposed that the administration of Health Services be provided
by two divisions - Division of Primary Care/Public Health and the Division
of
Secondary and Tertiary Care.
While
these
division's
services
are
related, their differences in program development, level of care, and unique
administrative
needs
suggest
a
more
efficient
program will
result
if
administered separately.
As
discussed
earlier,
we
are
suggesting
that
the Guam/Micronesia
Mission's contract be modified on implementation of 96-205 to take advantage
of their unique experience and skills in the management of secondary and
tertiary care facilities.
The division responsible for primary care and public health should be
administered by a public health physician with the appropriate support staff
Skilled in the areas of primary care and public health.
B.
Public Health
The recently drafted Five-Year Health Plan for the TT has put "public
health” needs as the number one priority in the Health Plan..
It classifies
public health programs into two categries (for ease of analysis only).
These are: 1) health promotion and protection services, and b) prevention
and detection services.
The primary focus of the first is the community,
while the focus of the second is the individual or family.
Obviously there
is considerable overlap, yet separation of the two is done purposely to
clarify function.
As was pointed out under Section V Health Status, many illnesses and
deaths in the M.I. (Particularly those of infants, children and women in
childbearing years), could be prevented by use of resources available to
almost every family: boiling and/or filtering of water; greater attention to
personal hygiene; improved food handling methods; improved waste disposal
methods; immunization of children; prenatal care; spacing of births; use of
basic first aid procedures; and improved nutrition.
These represent just a
few of the ways Marshall Island residents could improve their health.
However, before people can effectively use these mechanisms to promote
health, they must understand the relationship between health, illness and
daily living habits and they must be motivated to make the required changes
in lifestyle as expressed in the Five-year Health Plan (pp. 227):