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Any program of health care for the people affected by radiation should
be integrated, to the maximum extent possible, with a future health care

program of the Government of the Marshall Islands.

The contractor,

accordingly, will be required to examine current facilities and proposed
hospital and dispensary facilities and staff to determine how such local
staff and facilities can be utilized to provide comprehensive health
care for the peoples of the affected atolls.

(5)
Primary care.
Because many of the peoples concerned
will be living in an "out-island" context, the contractor should set
forth recommendations on how "primary care“ can best be provided to the
people in such a context.
This should include recommendations on the
type of staff, facilities, training of practitioners, etc.
It will be
macessary to determine whether present out-island facilities and programs
maintained by the Government of the Marshalls Islands can be upgraded
ana sunsidized to provide this essential primary care for the peoples
concerned, or whether a separate primary health care system, supported
and operated by the U.S, will be required?
(6)
Secondary and Tertiary care.
The contractor will be
required to set forth recommendations on where and in what manner secondary
and tertiary care can be most effectively provided, both from treatment
and cost standpoints.

(7)

Cost of Provision of Comprehensive Health Care for

all of the Marshalis.
The peoples of the "designated affected atolis"
will require both "on-atoll" and "off-atoll" comprehensive care.
Many
of the individuals requiring the comprehensive care will be in the
present major populated centers.
The numbers away from the home atolls
may well run into several thousand.
The contractor will be requested to
draw up cost estimates of a comprehensive health care program for all of
the Marshalls that would give the type of comprehensive care required
for the peoples of the affected atolls.
7.

Further comments

Because some representatives who are required by the statute to be
directly involved in the preparation of the plan may not be present at
the meeting of August 4, and because some who are present may wish to
supplement comments made at the meeting, the Interior Department will
welcome the receipt of views by no later than the close of business on
Monday, August 18.
Views may be expressed either in writing or, if the
representative prefers, orally to pertinent officers or employees of the
Interior Department.
Whether in writing or otherwise, however, such
views must be received no later than August 18, in order to permit the
contract procedure to commence immediately thereafter.
As this Discussion Paper attempts to make clear, the Interior Department's
position as to the directives to a contractor is not now fixed.
This
paper has been prepared solely as a guide to further discussions and
exchanges of views.
The Interior Department will welcome, and will give

careful consideration, to any views that may be presented to it, particularly
from the representatives of the people of the affected atolls and the
Government of the Marshall Islands.

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