Overview:
Health must come first, Vice President Raynold Oilouch said during the Health Ministry’s community outreach, highlighting efforts to bring medical services closer to residents, particularly those in remote Sonsorol.
Vice president highlights community health outreach, with focus on improving access for remote islands
By: L.N. Reklai
KOROR, Palau (Oct. 29, 2026) – “Our health is most important above all,” Vice President and Minister of Health Raynold Oilouch told residents during the Ministry of Health and Human Services’ (MHHS) 15th town hall meeting with communities across Palau’s 16 states.
Oilouch stressed that good health must be a priority because all other plans and goals depend on people’s well-being.
“All our plans and any other priorities will fail if our health fails, if our bodies fail,” he said, explaining that the community meetings are intended to help residents understand and access the health services available to them.
Drawing from his own experience with health issues, Oilouch said he had come to realize that even the best plans mean little without a healthy body. He encouraged residents to take advantage of the services provided through the ministry’s five bureaus.
During each community outreach meeting, bureau directors and representatives explained the responsibilities of their respective bureaus and divisions, the services they provide and how residents can access them. They also listened to community concerns and answered questions about health services.
For Sonsorol State, one of the major concerns raised was access to medical care for residents living on the remote Sonsorol islands, located about 180 miles from Belau National Hospital. The distance creates significant challenges in providing timely medical services, particularly when transportation is limited or emergencies arise.
Oilouch said bringing health services closer to communities is one of the ministry’s key responsibilities, an effort carried out through community health centers. However, one of the challenges in Sonsorol has been finding a nurse willing to relocate to the islands.
Claret Matlab, director of Hospital Services, said there is encouraging news: Two young people from Sonsorol are currently studying nursing and have expressed interest in returning home to provide medical services after completing their training.
“We have good news that there are two young people from Sonsorol studying nursing at the moment, and they have expressed desire to go and provide services in Sonsorol once they’ve completed their nursing training,” Matlab said.
In the meantime, Oilouch said the ministry will work with the Sonsorol State government to coordinate medical assistance when emergencies occur. The ministry will also work with the Ministry of State to coordinate transportation schedules to the Southwest Islands.
The outreach meetings raise the importance of making health services accessible to all communities, particularly residents of remote islands who face additional challenges reaching medical facilities.
For Sonsorol, developing local nursing capacity and improving coordination for emergency medical assistance and transportation remain important steps toward bringing health care closer to the people who need it.