Health in the Marshall Islands

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Life expectancy of the people of Marshall Islands in 2017 was 67 years for men and 71 years for women. [1] Infant mortality has been reduced from 40 to 22 per 1000 live births between 1990 and 2010.

Contents

Diabetes

Prevalence of obesity in the adult population, top countries (2016), the Marshall Islands have the third 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), the Marshall Islands have the third highest rate in the world.

A 2007–2008 study revealed that the rate of type 2 diabetes is among the highest in the world; 28% over the age of 15; 50% over 35. Approximately 75% of women, and 50% of men are overweight or obese. This is mostly due to the adoption of an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. About 50% of all surgeries performed on the island are amputations due to complications from diabetes. There are no facilities for renal dialysis. [2]

Healthcare

The Health Services Board is responsible for public health services. There are two public hospitals, Leroj Atama Medical Center in Majuro which has 101 beds and Leroj Kitlang Health Center in Ebeye which has 45. There are 58 health care centres on the outer atolls and islands. There is also a hospital on Kwajalein Atoll at the US military base which serves only the American forces. [3]

Blood transfusion is organised informally, as there is no blood bank. [4]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Islands</span> Country near the equator in the Pacific Ocean

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 coral atolls and five islands, divided across two island chains: Ratak in the east and Ralik in the west. 97.87% of its territory is water, the largest proportion of water to land of any sovereign state. The country shares maritime boundaries with Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and the Federated States of Micronesia to the west. The capital and largest city is Majuro, home to approximately half of the country's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majuro</span> Capital of the Marshall Islands

Majuro is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll has a land area of 9.7 square kilometers (3.7 sq mi) and encloses a lagoon of 295 square kilometers (114 sq mi). As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Majuro consists of narrow land masses. It has a tropical trade wind climate, with an average temperature of 27 °C (81 °F).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikini Atoll</span> Coral atoll in the Marshall Islands

Bikini Atoll, known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 19th century and 1946, is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a 229.4-square-mile (594.1 km2) central lagoon. The atoll is at the northern end of the Ralik Chain, approximately 530 miles (850 km) northwest of the capital Majuro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enewetak Atoll</span> Coral atoll in the Marshall Islands; site of U.S. nuclear testing during the Cold War

Enewetak Atoll is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. With a land area total less than 5.85 square kilometers (2.26 sq mi), it is no higher than 5 meters (16.4 ft) and surrounds a deep central lagoon, 80 kilometers (50 mi) in circumference. It is the second-westernmost atoll of the Ralik Chain and is 305 kilometers (190 mi) west from Bikini Atoll.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compact of Free Association</span> US-Micronesia-Marshall Islands-Palau agreements

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kili Island</span>

Kili Island or Kili Atoll is a small, 81 hectares island located in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, 415 people lived on the island, many of whom were descended from islanders who originally lived on Bikini Atoll. They were relocated when they agreed to let the U.S. government temporarily use their home for nuclear testing in 1945. Kili Island became their home after two prior relocations failed. The island does not have a natural lagoon and cannot produce enough food to enable the islanders to be self-sufficient. It is part of the legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. The island is approximately 48 kilometers (30 mi) southwest of Jaluit. It is a good sized island for the Marshall Islands, but it is not an atoll with a lagoon.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Kuwait</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Tuvalu</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll</span> US nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delap-Uliga-Djarrit</span> Capital of the Marshall Islands

Delap-Uliga-Djarrit is an urban area in Majuro, the capital and the largest city of the Marshall Islands, with 15,846 people out of Majuro's 23,676. It consists of the districts of Delap, Uliga, and Djarrit. DUD is located on the eastern end of Majuro Atoll. Marshallese government buildings are situated in DUD.

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References

  1. "Marshall Islands country profile". Bbc.com. July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  2. "Defeating Diabetes: Lessons From the Marshall Islands". Todaysdietitian.com. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  3. "Marshall Islands" (PDF). WHO. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  4. "National Health Issues". Marshall Islands Guide. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2018.