that a greater emphasis both in time and moncy is devoted to the rescarch
effort than the general health program. They are aware of the imbalance of
the efforts and fail to understand it.
IV.

Trust Territory Health Care

The delivery of health care inthe Marshall Islands, particularly that
provided to the outer islands, is sporadic at best. Health care is concentrated
at Majuro, the District Center, and Ebeye, where a sub hospital is located.
Both hospitals are understaffed and suffer from lack of properly trained
personnel, lack of medications, and inadequate facilities. The outer islands,
such as Rongelap and Utirik, are served by a health aide on each island.
He is inadequately trained, lacks proper or sufficient medications. A Trust
Territory physician rare ly gets to visit the outer islands. Discussions with
physicians in Majuro indicated that a physician accompanying a field trip ship has
not occurred in over two years. The islands are totally dependent on the Trust

Territory field trip ships to bring in supplies and transport referral cases.
Major emergencies can, in some instances, be air evacuated but it is on

a limited basis only.

;

' The Brookhaven program has identified that upwards of 30%of the

population has adult onset diabetes mellitus. “Here is one area that Brookhaven
could expand its work by providing diabetes clinics forthe people. Current
‘therapy in the islands is oral hypoglycemics, which admittedly are controversial ~
‘put still used in the United States, Oral hypoglycemics offer some help to
these people where insulin cannot be used.
The vaccination situation in the islands is totally inadequate.

A

review of immunization records of children on Utirik, Rongelap, and Bikini
revealed no children under 5 with completed series for polio, diphtheria,

tetanus, or purtussis. Children who have lived inthe district center are the
exceptions. Vaccination serum provided by the Trust Territory has often
been out of date. There is no refrigeration on field trip ships to permit
adequate transport of the serum without deterioration.

Public Health nurses

from the Trust Territory had not visited these islands for over 2 years until

I asked them to accompany my medical surveys.

,

Family planning and contraception are needed throughout the district.

Other areas of concern are nutrition education, amebiasis control, all of

which can be dealt with by the Brookhaven physician conducting public
health programs.
Vv.

Peoples Expectations

1.

Rongelap.

These native people all express that their greatest need dies in

the general health area.

It is the problems that effect their daily lives aad the

lives of their children'that hold their greatest concern.

They all fear what

effect the radiation might have on their lives and tle it in to their general

health needs. The concept of research is totally meaningless to them. The
People all see a doctor as a man giving care to all their problems and not
.of concern. They fail to understand how a doctor

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