Tinian to host Pacific health conference

Health specialists in the Pacific will hold a conference in Tinian to discuss environmental issues confronting the region, according to Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez.

Almost 100 delegates are expected to attend the conference to be sponsored by the Pacific Island Health Officers Association headed by Mr. Villagomez. The executive session will be conducted on Sept. 27 and 28.

Among the issues to be discussed are the radiation exposure in the Marshall Islands, chemical contamination in Palau, polychlorinated biphenyl contamination in Tanapag village in Saipan and Hawaii.

The meeting will be attended by representatives from the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, Center for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Mr. Villagomez said the topic for the conference was chosen since the Pacific islanders are confronted with similar problems where most of the health concerns were brought about by the contamination in the environment.

In the CNMI, government officials are faced with the serious health and environmental problem of PCB contamination in Tanapag, a northern coastal village in Saipan. Cleanup of the cemetery is now being undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, the Environmental Chemical Corp.

The South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme has listed the Republic of Palau as one of the island governments that has been found with chemical stockpiles deposited in more than 50 sites.

Also included in the list are Cook Islands, FSM, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Pacific island governments are also expected to tackle problem of improving the delivery of health care in their communities thus, they have tapped the federal agencies to assist in funding several health care programs.

PIHOA is made up of health department heads for the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshalls, the Republic of Palau, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

PIHOA serves as a unifying voice and credible authority on issues of regional significance that is attained through collaborative and cooperative efforts in capacity building, advocacy and policy development to provide medical care, promote healthy lifestyles, prevent disease and injury and protect the environment.