Island Times will be publishing national government ministries 2017 highlights of what each Ministry accomplished in 2017.  This will take up to 5 issues to publish.  First report will be from the Ministry of Health annual report. Next issue will cover Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs. Other ministries will be forthcoming.

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Minister of Health Dr. Emais Roberts: “As you can see with all four Bureaus within the Ministry of Health, it is apparent that providing quality healthcare services to all citizens, residents, and guests of the Republic of Palau is the main goal of our Ministry. Another main goal of our Ministry is to focus on staff growth and development, which in turn, will yield improved delivery of services to all.”

(Below are excerpts from MOH Annual Report to the President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. on their progress in the past year.  Not included in this publication are the on-going projects and the 2018 Initiatives in the report.)

Bureau of Hospital & Clinical Services (BHCS)

2017 Strategic Highlights:

•    Bringing health care closer to the community

  • Increasing and building health care work force
  • Enhancing quality and affordable care
  • Reduce off-island referrals

In 2017, the Ministry of Health took the initiative to increase decentralization of services  into the community health centers and ensuring uninterrupted service at Belau National Hospital. Due to the heightened activities toward decentralization of services, the Ministry has initiated activities of recruitment of new providers and training of the new health workers.

To support the expanding community health services, MOH has started training of new health workforces targeted to support the dispensaries. It also developed an internship program to support new Palauan doctors who recently graduated from Taiwan and soon the Cuba graduate.

The on-going enhancement of quality services, the following initiatives taken place to ensure quality and safety to MOH services:

  1. Essential Drug List: Based on WHO guidelines to ensure proper and adequate medicines that will cut cost and meet our requirements.
  1. Radiology services upgrades: Purchasing new X-ray Machines and Standard of protocols for safe usage of X-ray. On-going scholarship for new Radiographers, to date we have 3 certified Palauan
  2. Hiring of the new Orthopedic surgeon has reduce the number of our off-island Orthopedic
  3. Opthalmologist has been hire and soon our referral of island will be reduced as

Purchasing Retinal Cameras to support improve NCD outcomes.

Bureau of Public Health (BPH)  

2017 Highlights of 2017

  • Hybrid Survey – Completion of the 2016 Hybrid Survey conducted as a follow up of the initial STEPS survey to gauge non-communicable disease and risk factor prevalence among Palau’s With data analysis and reporting completed in December 2017, the survey’s results will be available for publication and dissemination in January 2018.
  • 34 PNC Revision – Efforts were initiated in June 2017 to review and revise Title 34 of the Palau National Code with Senator Kuartei to improve public health efforts in This effort aims to revise and/or design appropriate legislation to strengthen health protection and promotion and disease prevention in Palau.
  • Journal Publications -Two Bureau of Public Health personnel had their research efforts published in medical journals in Both had been undertaking training and coursework in the Pacific Integrated Operational Research Training. Irish Tutii had her research on cancer published in the Hawaii Journal of Medicine and Public Health, while Mindy Sugiyama had her research on gestational diabetes published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal.
  • BPH Strategic Plan – The Bureau finalized its strategic plan for the next five years, incorporating new goals and objectives while ensuring sustained efforts remain in place to address ongoing and reemerging health issues in Palau.
  • Dengue Fever Outbreak – A Dengue Fever outbreak was declared in January 2017 after cases began surging since late More than 490 people were affected by dengue throughout the outbreak period. Cases finally subsided below the outbreak threshold in November 2017, prompting the cancellation of the outbreak in December 2017 and response operations were then scaled down.
  • Collaborative/Comprehensive Outreach Team – A newly formed team of health educators and health communicators was formed in November 2017 to provide comprehensive health information to the public during large events and
  • Chronic Disease Management Workshop – A free workshop was launched in November 2017 to provide training on chronic disease
  • Alcohol Control Coalition – In April 2017 the Bureau hosted a workshop to create a core group comprising the Alcohol Control Coalition of Palau Its aim is to formulate a national plan to promote alcohol use prevention, especially among the youth

Bureau of Nursing (BON)  

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2017

  1. BON Organization chart endorsed by the Minister of Health and ROP
  2. Working closely with other MOH bureaus in addressing MOH needs and
  3. Certification of 6 nurses to become TST (TB Skin Test) trainers, recertification of 4 nurses and 1other MOH staff to become Basic Life Support (BLS) Instructors, certification of one nurse and 1Public Health (PH) program manager to become Brief Tobacco Intervention Trainers, Certification of 3 doctors and a nurse to become Advance Cardiac Life Support {ACLS )I
  4. Clinical nurse completing a perioperative standards training in
  5. Certification of two nurses to become counselors in the Communicable Disease Unit (CDU) – outreach testing and
  6. Re-activated regular scheduled meetings for units, all supervisors and nursing
  7. Hiring of an administrative assistant to work with Bureau particularly with the two chief
  8. Reactivate cross training schedules within each
  9. Health Assistant Training Program (HATP) started in October 2017 expected completion date is April
  10. Attended the Pacific Leadership Workshop along with director Mekoll that was held in Fiji on December 19-23, 201
  11. Attended 39th American Pacific Nursing Leaders Council (APNLC) in American Samoa from June 19-23, 201
  12. 9 Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and 1Disease intervention assistant are taking classes at PCC (2 are aiming to complete this May) with their AS degree in

Bureau of Health Administration & Support Services (BHASS)  

  1. 2017 Highlights of 2017
    1. Bureau organizational Chart Completed and endorsed.
    2. Bureau Organized to provide the most active administrative team to support Bureau of Hospital & clinical Services,
    3. Food Service equipped with proper cooking equipments & supplies
    4. Radiology equipped with adequate xray equipment
    5. OR equipped with adequate anesthetic machine
    6. CDU & DEH Facilities construction
  2. Revenue: Collected a Revenue of 4M in comparison to year before.
  3. FACILTY:
    1. Roof Top partial Repair Completed
      1. Major leaking areas are repaired
    2. Health Care Waste Management Unit created and fully operational with 2 staff
      1. Unit manages all the health care waste and ensures that Health hazardous wastes are disposed properly and a working incinerator to burn the hazardous waste.
  • Provided proper disposing education to providers and proper bins all over clinics
  1. Medical Referral Program
    1. All referral housing sites with written policies
    2. All sites with better internet/Wifi services, entertainment, other amenities for patients & attendants
  • All sites staffed with at least 2 personnel
  1. Manila Housing purchase – (NEW) [/restrict]