Health in the Federated States of Micronesia

Life expectancy at birth in the Federated States of Micronesia was 68 for men and 71 for women in 2016.

Pingelap in Pohnpei State is notable for the prevalence of an extreme form of color blindness called Achromatopsia, and known locally as maskun.[1][2] Approximately 5% of the atoll's 3000 inhabitants are afflicted.[1][2]

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 USA.[3]

Total expenditure on health in the country was $473 per head in 2014. This was about 13.7% of GDP.[4]

Hospitals in the Federated States of Micronesia.[5]

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.[6]

References
  1. 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.
  2. Hussels IE, Morton NE (1972). "Pingelap and Mokil Atolls: achromatopsia". Am. J. Hum. Genet. 24 (3): 304–9. PMC 1762260. PMID 4555088.
  3. Asher, Johnson (2002). "Federated States of Micronesia Health Services in Relation to Medical Services". Journal of South Pacific Law. 6. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  4. "Micronesia (Federated States of)". WHO. 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  5. Hospitals and Clinics Embassy of the United States, Kolonia
  6. "Federated States of Micronesia". Rural Health INfo. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
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