EVE BURNS
The Ministry of Health and Human Services received a gift Friday that made the nurses beyond happy. Under the Economic Social Development Program of Japan’s grant signed in 2019, Ambassador Kazunari Tanaka handed over a medical ship last Friday at Uliga dock.
Reverend Tim Mea delivered invocation.
“The mutual friendship between RMI and Japan resulted in a generous donation from the people and government in Japan to the people and government in the Marshall Islands,” said Health Secretary Jack Niedenthal. “Watoon Mour means to ‘give hope, give life’ so it’s a really great name for a ship. It’s sort of like a mini hospital, it’s going to be able to deliver health care services to the underserved communities of the Marshallese neighboring islands.”
“At the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM9) held in July last year, the Leaders of Japan and the Pacific Island Countries including the RMI announced the ‘KIZUNA (Pacific Bond) Policy,’” said Japan Ambassador Kazunari Tanaka at the event. “One of its priority areas, ‘Covid-19 Response and Recovery,’ calls for the strengthening of health and medical systems. I am very pleased that the hand- over of this medical ship today is an embodiment of this policy in this country. ‘Liwatoon Mour’ will contribute to improving primary healthcare services and health management by enhancing access to medical services for people of the neighboring islands.”
The medical ship is equipped with a mobile X-ray machine, portable dental unit, dental unit set, stretcher, portable ventilator, biological microscope, low-speed centrifuge for laboratory analysis, three medicine cabinets, two medical refrigerators, and one operation bed.
Ambassador Kazunari expressed his gratitude to Ministry of Health and Human Services as well as other ministries and authorities of the RMI involved, the people of the RMI, especially those living in the neighboring islands, who have waited for a long time since the submission of the request for this cooperation back in 2018.
He also thanked Tateno Ken and Sakurai Motonori from the Fiesta Shipping Company for the effort and dedication in building a great ship and bringing her to Majuro.
“Japan’s development cooperation for the RMI can be seen in various areas to promote the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” the ambassador said. “The assistance in the field of health and medical care for the RMI is not limited to today’s medical ship. Japan has constructed the Majuro Hospital and in order to improve its functions, various medical equipment has been provided.”