RMI Nuclear Justice Documents

Addendum to Health Care Plan for the Marshall Islands

This addendum is submitted at the request of the Department of the Interior
following the discussions held at the Department on December 10, 1980.

The

. purpose is to submit a plan for a very limited primary health care to be provided
for the inhabitants actually living on the atolls of Rongelap, Utirik, Enewetak,
and Kili.

Tne plan is not recomnended by the Loma Linda University team and

objections

to the plan will be listed after a brief outline of the health care

plan.
The requirements for health care will include the following:

1.

One Medical Assistant to be employed full time and stationed on each of
the four mentioned atolls.

For the immediate present (if the plan were

to begin before medical assistants coule complete a three-year course of
training, Medex could be recruited ‘from those working at Majuro or Ebeye
if the Marshall Islands government were willing to apply whatever pressure
would be necessary to assign them to work on the attols.

2.

The present clinic facility should be upgraded to the status of a health
center as specified in our previous report submitted to the Department

of Interior on December 3, 1980.
3.

Housing facilities would need to be built for each of the medical assistants.

4.

Radio communication equipment would be necessary at each health center and
at Ebeye or Kwajalein.

5.

A logistic supply system would need to be established at the hospital at
Ebeye or Kwajalein andstaffed wtih a full time person capable of handling
pharmaceutical and other supplies.

6. ~

The medical ship outlined in section

December 3 would be necessary.

of our report submitted on

This ship should be outfitted with

laboratory, x-ray and dental facilities on board.
This plan would provide primary care on each of the four atolls delivered by a medical
assistant who would be supervised by a medical doctor (general practitioner).

This

physician would be stationed in Ebeye or Kwajalein but most of the time would be doing
itinerant work aboard ship visiting the four atolls.

Since this pland would provide

me upgrading of the hospitals at Majuro or Ebeye, it would be necessary to send all
patients requiring hospitalization to Honolulu.

Dental care would be provided by a

part time dentist aboard the ship with assistance of a dental hygienist.

One public