January 24, 2013

WOMEN’S CANCER SCREENINGS CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

The Ministry of Health regrets to inform the public that starting January 28, 2013, all women’s breast and cervical cancer screenings will not be available until further notice.

Services including pap tests and pelvic and breast exams will temporarily be unavailable until a new laboratory abroad is identified to provide specimen testing for the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health apologizes for the inconvenience and will announce the resuming of services as soon as they are available. More information regarding the suspension of these services is available from the Central Community Health Center (CHC) Clinic at 488-6445 or the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Unit at 488-2212.

January 24, 2013

ONGOING NCD STEPS SURVEY TO CONTINUE

 The Ministry of Health is informing the public that the ongoing NCD STEPs Survey will continue to be administered throughout Palau beginning Monday, January 28, 2013. The nation-wide survey will be assessing Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) risk factors including alcohol and tobacco use, nutrition and physical activity. The survey will also be assessing physical and biochemical measurements such as body weight and size, glucose levels, cholesterol and blood pressure.

The purpose of the survey is to collect health information from community members to compare with results of the Comprehensive Community Assessment conducted in 2003. The results will help the Ministry of Health and community partners in improving existing interventions and develop effective strategies to prevent and control chronic illnesses in Palau.

Surveyors from The Ministry of Health will be visiting selected households to conduct the survey and for this The Ministry of Health kindly asks for patience and cooperation from the community during the survey. More information about the STEPs survey may be obtained from the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Unit at 488-2212. 

January 16, 2013

PSEOW DISTRIBUTES PROFILE REPORTS

As part of its mission to support state and community efforts in preventing substance abuse and mental illness, the Palau State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (PSEOW) is currently distributing throughout the community two reports which had been compiled last year. Through the Ministry of Health’s Division of Behavioral Health, PSEOW identifies, collects, analyzes data and distributes the reports about substance abuse and mental health problems. 

One report is the State Epidemiological Profile that provides an overview of substance abuse and mental health prevalence among adults and youth in Palau. While the other report is the Community Epidemiological Profile that focuses specifically on high school youth.  It examines differences in substance abuse and mental health patterns between public and private high schools in Palau.

The Ministry of Health highly encourages that the reports be used to inform program and policy development throughout Palau and promotes active participation from all interested individuals in the PSEOW in order to prepare these annual reports. For more information, copies of these reports, or if you would like to participate in the PSEOW, please contact Dr. Haley Cash at haley.menard@gmail.com or at the Health Policy, Research & Development Office at 488-4773.

January 16, 2013

EYE SPECIALISTS TO CONDUCT CLINICS

A team of eye specialists will be in Palau next month to conduct screening clinics for patients at the Belau National Hospital.

Dr. Jim Handa and Dr. Mark Wieland will once again be seeing diabetic patients at the Outpatient Department (OPD) from February 11 – 15, 2013.

Those who wish to visit the specialists must consult with their primary physicians and make appointments for the clinics at OPD.

For more information about the eye specialist clinics or to set up an appointment, contact the Outpatient Department located at the Belau National Hospital at 488-2555 on weekdays from 7:30am to 4:30pm.

The Ministry of Health shall take positive actions to:

Attain healthful environment,

Promote health and social welfare,

Protect family health and safety, and