VI.
Health Services
A.
Administration
It is proposed that the administration of Health Services Ibe provided
by two divisions - Division of Primary Care/Public Health and
of Secondary and Tertiary Care.
While
these
tlhe Division
division's
sé@rvices
are
related, their differences in program development, level of care]
and unique
administrative
result
needs
suggest
a more
efficient
program willl
if
administered separately.
As
discussed
earlier,
we
are
suggesting
that
the Guanl/Micronesia
Mission's contract be modified on implementation of 96-205 to tale advantage
of their unique experience and skills in the management of serondary and
tertiary care facilities.
The division responsible for primary care and public heal
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
health" needs as the number one priority in the Health Plan.
public health programs
Iti
put "public
classifies
into two categries (for ease of analfsis only).
These are: 1) health promotion and protection services, and b)lI prevention
and detection services.
The primary focus of the first is the
while the focus of the second is the individual or family.
community,
Obvipusly there
is considerable overlap, yet separation of the two is done p§rposely to
clarify function.
As was pointed out under Section V Health Status, many il—ffnesses and
deaths in the M.I. (Particularly those of infants, children alld women in
‘childbearing years), could be prevented by use of resources apailable to
almost every family: boiling and/or filtering of water; greater
attention to
personal hygiene; improved food handling methods; improved wasfe 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 hpalth.
However, before people can effectively use these mnechanismg
health, they must understand the relationship between health,
to promote
Jllness and
daily living habits and they must be motivated to make the requifed changes
in lifestyle as expressed in the Five-year Health Plan (pp. 227}:
\