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This plan would provide primary care on each of the four
atclls delivered by a mecical assistant who would be
supervised by a medical doctor (general practitioner).
Tris physician would be stationed in Ebeye or Kwajalein
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.
but most of the time would be doing itinerant work aboard
- -* * ghip visiting the four atolls.
Since this plan would
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provide no upgrading of the hospitals at Majuro or Ebeye,
it would be necessary to send virtually 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 health nurse
would be employed to conduct health education programs,
Sanitary evaluations, maternal and child health preventive
programs, immunization programs, etc.
Manpower Requirements
The manpower needs for this plan would require the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Four medical assistants
One public health nurse/health educator
One physician (general practitioner)
One pharmacist/logistics supply/transportation officer
One part time dentist
One dental hygienist/dental assistant
The plan is not recommended by the Loma LInda University tean.
The limitations of this plan are as follows:
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i.
The arbitrary selection of people to receive care
being only those actually living on the four named
atolls is unfair as it represents only a portion
of the “affected” people of these four atolls.
2.
This plan would not provide at the local level even
the basics of primary care specialty services such
as care provided by a Pediatrician, Internist,
Obstetrician/Gynecologist, or General Surgeon.
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3.
Without adequate hospital facilities in the
Marshall Islands, there would be no real emergency
care available that would adequately fulfill the
required needs; e.g.
by the time a patient is
evacuated from his home atoll and transported to
Kwajalein to await a scheduled flight to Honolulu
with an additional long transport, it could well
be too late for emergency care to be effective.