January 27, 2012

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Doctor shortage cripples hospital Majuro Hospital is seriously short-staffed of doctors, with doctors working 12-hour shifts and being pulled from their regular duties to fill gaps in the outpatient clinic and emergency room. The problem of lack of physicians at the hospital dates to 2009 and is not improving. Ministry of Health officials briefed the new Cabinet on health issues, including the doctor shortage, on Monday. The hospital currently has only one pediatrician, one surgeon and one OB-GYN (woman’s doctor) for a population approaching 30,000 when in years past it has had two or three in each of these specialties. It has no radiologist, so doctors are left to attempt to read x-rays as best they can, and there is no anesthesiologist for surgeries, so two nurses who have received training in this field provide the service. “We have to shift people around and make sacrifices,” said Medical Chief of Staff at Majuro Hospital Dr. Kennar Briand (pictured). In order not to reduce patient services in the current situation, “we’ve tried 12-hour shifts for doctors.” But, he said, this is like asking pilots to fly overtime. Over-worked doctors are more likely to make mistakes in diagnoses, he said. Because of being short-handed, Briand himself is routinely manning shifts at ER and the outpatient clinic, and pulling other doctors from Public Health to help in both. The Ministry is attempting to recruit seven new doctors from the Philippines, according to job description postings on Manilaoverseas.com website. Assumption gets focused A new management team and a new board of directors took over at Assumption Schools at the beginning of the current school year with a big agenda: a lofty $54,000 debt to MISSA, buildings in desperate need of demolition or heavy renovation, the urgent need for new classroom space to meet the large demand at the lower elementary grades, and an upcoming WASC accreditation review. Six months into her term as Assumption Schools Principal, former Education Secretary Biram Stege (pictured) said the school decided to focus on eliminating the debt and then moving onto major projects that need addressing. Boosting optimism, the school has cut the MISSA debt by two-thirds, with the light at the end of tunnel visible for clearing the entire debt by May. “It’s been a matter of letting people know about the school’s needs and they get involved to help,” said Stege. “Once they knew of our situation, there was no hesitation to help.” Stege acknowledges the support and involvement of Sr. Dorothy Nook, the Director of Catholic Schools in the RMI who is also the coordinator of Assumption’s accreditation self-study review. Stege was the Secretary of Education from 2000 to 2010, and Nook was principal of Marshall Islands High School and coordinated the recently successful US accreditation of MIHS. Stege also gives credit to a revitalized board and PTA, the church parish leadership and members, alumni and people in the community who are stepping to the plate to help the school.

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Remembering James de Breuys At the end of 2010, three Bikarej residents and American James de Breuys died when their small boat sunk between Arno and Majuro. James was recently remembered with the dedication of a basketball court in honor of the group that died, with this special rendition on the court of James’ mustache style. Pictured is his brother, Steve, who was here for the ceremony. Photo: Isaac Marty.

No passport issued since Dec 2011 RMI Attorney General’s Office has been forced to halt production of passports due to its passport printer breaking down. Attorney General Filimon Manoni (pictured) stated that the equipment has been down for two weeks as of Thursday last week. According to Manoni, problems with images on passports being distorted started happening early this month. Maintenance work was performed on it that made it run for a short time before it broke down altogether. “We cannot issue passports at the moment,” said Manoni. “The payment has been made as of Monday. It will shipped over from Massachusetts to the RMI office in Honolulu, Hawaii and then straight to Majuro within three days.” Manoni emphasized that getting a new printer is a top priority. Staff training and a backup printer, plus software were also mentioned to follow along. In the meantime, the AG’s office is issuing temporary passports but not all US government agencies required have given their seal of approval to allow Marshallese to travel into the US with it. Jidbun and Katina study abroad Two Marshallese women are heading to Fiji at the end of January to participate in training programs at the Australia Pacific Technical College (APTC). Jidbun Jacklick, head chef at the Marshall Islands Resort, will complete her Certificate III in Commercial Cookery at RakiRaki, Fiji and Katina Peter (pictured) will achieve her Certificate III in Disability services in Suva. Both will study under the APTC School of Hospitality and Community Services for five months and will return to the Marshall Islands in June. Already having substantial experience in their areas of training, Jidbun and Katina will increase their expertise and offer an Australian qualification in their respective fields.

Can Nitijela improve work?—— The public has given the new government the mandate to straighten out the lack of service being provided by government employees, Minister Tony deBrum (pictured left) told the opening of a three-day Nitijela induction workshop Wednesday. But, he said, President Christopher Loeak’s (pictured right) and the Cabinet’s demand for more effective public services “cannot be made without also making improvements in the national legislature.” Speaking for Loeak who was at the opening ceremony Wednesday, deBrum said this week’s induction program is one way the parliament is working to accomplish better delivery of services by the members to the public. “When we speak of the public service employees needing to be on time and effective, we must include members of parliament,” deBrum said, adding that members of parliament are a “critical aspect of good governance.” He said the training program for senators being held this week with the support of the United Nations Development Program is good for the new members and a chance for the older members to catch up on the duties of parliament and improve delivery of services.” He also used the ceremony to say the government through the Nitijela intends to work closely with the business sector, and recognized donor countries — the US, Japan and Taiwan governments were represented at the ICC — “without whom little can be accomplished.” Fewer than half of the 33 senators were on hand for the opening ceremony that started at 9:15am. Speaker Donald Capelle recognized the UNDP and Hawaii Senator Kalani English for their participation in the workshop.

PII rescues RMI medivac team A complicated open-ocean medical evacuation was successfully accomplished outside Majuro with the cooperation of numerous Majuro government officials and business people. The US Coast Guard’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center contacted Lt. Commander George McKenzie at RMI Sea Patrol Monday afternoon that a Chinese seaman onboard a large bulk cargo carrier was reportedly suffering from appendicitis and needed medical evacuation. Thus informed, McKenzie moved into action to alert people to affect the medivac. The Panama-registered Chinese vessel Zosco Zhoushan arrived off Majuro Tuesday morning. “The vessel was too large to enter Majuro lagoon and they were not carrying charts for RMI,” said McKenzie. There was a scramble for boats to carry a team out to meet the cargo vessel: RMI Ports Authority pilot boat was not working and the RMI Lomor was in Ebeye conducting police work, so Ben Reimers and his boat XXXX was quickly engaged to assist. Romeo Reimers of RRE Shipping Agency CENPAC handled arrangements for the vessel, getting Majuro Hospital to dispatch nurses Tony Silk and Talton Bosin and arranging for Bilton Ralpho and Regold Maddison of RMI Immigration, Dickson Kaminaga of Customs, and Wesley Beasha to join XXXX. RRE CEO Michael Cheng joined the team to translate for the ill crewmember. McKenzie and Sea Patrol Officer Bruce John and Lt. Jerry Aneo were on board. They left RRE Shoreline at 9:30am Tuesday to meet the ship that was aiming for an area off Majuro’s western shore near Laura. But after hitting the Oceanside, XXXX suffered significant engine problems and began drifting off the coast of Majuro. The crew called Ronnie Reimers, who came out in Kirtake to rescue XXXX and took her in tow heading back to Shoreline. As XXXX was wallowing in rough seas waiting for Kirtake to arrive, Romeo called Majuro Senator David Kramer, who as it happened was in the Nitijela session and was not answering his cell phone. But when Romeo texted “this is an emergency, please pick up,” Kramer quickly left the session to take Romeo’s call, asking for Pacific International Inc. help. Kramer quickly called PII, and within minutes Stanley Anthoney, captain of PII’s new boat (pictured above), was heading out to the south shore to find XXXX. It met up with XXXX, which by this time was being towed by Kirtake. The rough seas made for a bumpy transfer of the medivac team from XXXX to the PII boat, but it was accomplished safely. The PII boat and the bulk carrier met up as planned. “It was risky, but we were able to pull it off,” said Romeo of getting crewmember Yang Cang-yi safely off the big ship and onto PII’s boat in the heavy seas. Yang climbed down the ship pilot’s ladder, a distance of about 50 feet from the deck of the vessel to the rocking small boat. The rest of the story is routine. An ambulance was waiting for him, and rushed him to the hospital, where he was examined by Majuro Hospital doctors. His surgery was performed Wednesday morning and Romeo said he was back in his bed in the ward by lunchtime and he appeared to be fine. Romeo said after Yang recovers, the shipping agency will organize his repatriation to China.

Journal 1/30/1987 P2 More debate needed One of the troubling aspects of the public hearing on the proposed gambling legislation — aside from the hasty nature of the meeting which meant few community representatives were present — was that so much of the discussion was devoted to constitutional issues of the bill itself. The moral and philosophical issues of gambling in the Marshalls should be addressed before a major debate on the constitutionality of bill 117. How does the introduction of gambling tie in with the objectives of the Five-Year Development Plan? Will gambling promote the kind of tourism that Marshallese want? What of the problems of prostitution and drug running associated with gambling institutions? Or that of syndicate control? All of these questions need full debate well before any further move is made on the gambling issue. Journal 1/29/1973 P2 Some thoughts about the impending UN Mission visit All over the South Pacific outrage has been the common reaction to the continuation of nuclear testing by France off Tahiti. The French UN Mission Counselor Paul Blanc, who is chairing the mission, will probably be very interested to talk to the people of Rongelap and find out what happened to these people as a result of nuclear testing. We can expect a lot of strong verbiage from this French chap, don’t you think? Did any of you perchance see the December 25 article in Newsweek magazine, which exposed the deplorable condition of the Journal 1/27/1995 P6 Releasing nightmare The Journal urges establishment of a single office at Majuro main dock, outfitted with desks, filing cabinets and an air conditioner where, in a row, you have a customs agent, a transportation agent, a pair of shipping company agents, and a stevedoring company agent. This office would be open for three days after the arrival of a vessel, and save millions of dollars in importers’ time in running around like a nitwit getting rubberstamps from various agencies. Anybody who doesn’t agree with this idea is crazy. Anyone who works to prevent its implementation should be deported, citizen or not. aborigines of Australia. The Australian government has made a national policy out of exploiting aboriginal land for rich companies. Do you suppose (the Australian rep) Mr. Ashwin will be very upset by the fact that the Trust Territory government has chosen to use its lawyers to help hotel developers win a court case against 10 Micronesians who are fighting to have the hotel relocated? This, then, is what the United Nations is sending out here to Micronesia to “check up on things.” As long as the UN is composed of members who themselves are so compromised by their own actions, there doesn’t seem to be much point to such an organization. They are sort of like a worldwide Chamber of Commerce whose real purpose, when you come down to it, is to see that the world is a safe place to make a buck. And since making a buck for one always means losing a buck for another, you can bet that what the US is trying to here in Micronesia will go unnoticed by these astute diplomats. Micronesia is being sold to the American war machine: UN Mission members Ashwin, Blanc, Hinchcliffe and Issraelyn are merely interested observers who are really here to see to it that the rules are followed.