Health in the Federated States of Micronesia

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The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that the Federated States of Micronesia are fulfilling 94.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. [1] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, the Federated States of Micronesia achieve 97.1% of what is expected based on their current income. [1] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 91.9% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. [1] The Federated States of Micronesia fall into the "good" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 95.8% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available. [1]

Contents

Prevalence of obesity in the adult population, top countries (2016), Micronesia has the eighth highest rate in the world. Prevalence Of Obesity In The Adult Population, Top Countries (2016).svg
Prevalence of obesity in the adult population, top countries (2016), Micronesia has the eighth highest rate in the world.

Life expectancy at birth in the Federated States of Micronesia was 66 for men and 69 for women in 2018. [2] [3]

Pingelap in Pohnpei State is notable for the prevalence of an extreme form of color blindness called achromatopsia, and known locally as maskun. [4] [5] Approximately 5% of the atoll's 3000 inhabitants are afflicted. [4] [5]

Healthcare

The healthcare system developed under the US naval administration after World War II when the US Navy sponsored students to train as medical and nurse assistants in Guam. There was a program of dispensary building in the 1960s, followed by the construction of hospitals, both financed and staffed by the US government. Under the Pacific Island Health Care Program patients were sent to Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii for treatment not available in Micronesia. After independence the government had difficulty in meeting these costs, and cut back on local facilities in order to pay for referrals, which still had financial and technical support from the United States. [6]

Total expenditure on health in the country was $473 per head in 2014. This was about 13.7% of GDP. [7]

Hospitals in the Federated States of Micronesia. [8]

These hospitals have a total of 362 beds. Tertiary health services are generally referred outside the country.

In the territory there are also 5 health centers and 92 dispensaries. [9]

State of Emergency Declared

A report of 5 April 2022 announced that some 40 doctors and nurses at Yap State Hospital complained to the state governor, Jesse Salalu, of severe understaffing, ineffective recruitment of staf, lack of contracts, and the Yap State Legislature’s refusal to release JEMCO-approved Office of Insular Affairs grant funds for wage increases. [10]

The governor refused to meet with a delegation of health professionals on 29 March 2022, and a large number of staff submitted resignations. The governor declared a state of emergency, saying “There is no sufficient pool of qualified nurses and doctors available on island for immediate recruitment to help prevent or minimize disruptions to the operation and services of the hospital”. The emergency status allows the Department of Health Services (DHS) in collaboration with Waab Community Health Center to relocate human resources to the main hospital.

Related Research Articles

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The Federated States of Micronesia, or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania. The federation consists of four states—from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae—that are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,700 mi) just north of the equator. They lie northeast of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, east of Palau and the Philippines, about 2,900 km (1,800 mi) north of eastern Australia, 3,400 km (2,100 mi) southeast of Japan, and some 4,000 km (2,485 mi) southwest of the main islands of the Hawaiian Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the Federated States of Micronesia</span>

Geography of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), a country located in the western Pacific Ocean, and in the Micronesia cultural and ecological sub-region of Oceania. While its total land area is very small at 702 km2 (271 sq mi), it has the 14th largest exclusive economic zone at 2,996,419 km2 (1,156,924 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of the Federated States of Micronesia</span>

Demographic features of the population of the Federated States of Micronesia include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects. The indigenous population of the Federated States of Micronesia, which is predominantly Micronesian, consists of various ethnolinguistic groups. English has become the common language. Population growth remains high at more than 3%, but is ameliorated somewhat by net emigration.

This article is about communications systems in the Federated States of Micronesia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yap State</span> Constituent state of the Federation of Micronesia

The State of Yap is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, located in the westernmost portion of the country. The state borders Palau to the southwest, Guam to the north, and Chuuk State to the east. According to the state's population census carried out in 2020, the total population is 11,577 residing across a total area of 119.54 sq km, though a large majority of the area is water. The only town area in the state, Colonia, serves as the state capital.

The Pingelapese language is a Micronesian language native to Pingelap, an atoll belonging to the state of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. This atoll is the homeland to the Pingelapese people, consisting of a three-square mile range of uninhabited small coral islets, Daekae and Sukora, and the inhabited islet, Pingelap. These islands partially make up the Caroline Islands.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Federated States of Micronesia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The church's first known missionaries arrived on July 5, 1978. As of December 31, 2022, there were 5,966 members in 23 congregations in FSM. The LDS Church has congregations in every state in the FSM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Micronesian Futsal Cup</span> International football competition

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Micronesia (Federated States) - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  2. "Life expectancy at birth, male (years) - Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | Data". The World Bank. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  3. "Life expectancy at birth, female (years) - Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | Data". The World Bank. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 Brody JA, Hussels I, Brink E, Torres J (1970). "Hereditary blindness among Pingelapese people of Eastern Caroline Islands". Lancet. 1 (7659): 1253–7. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(70)91740-X. PMID   4192495.
  5. 1 2 Hussels IE, Morton NE (1972). "Pingelap and Mokil Atolls: achromatopsia". Am. J. Hum. Genet. 24 (3): 304–9. PMC   1762260 . PMID   4555088.
  6. Asher, Johnson (2002). "Federated States of Micronesia Health Services in Relation to Medical Services". Journal of South Pacific Law. 6. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  7. "Micronesia (Federated States of)". WHO. 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  8. Hospitals and Clinics Embassy of the United States, Kolonia
  9. "Federated States of Micronesia". Rural Health INfo. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  10. "Mass resignation in Yap state hospital". 4 April 2022.