HHS Works with Department of State and Military to Deliver Emergency Supplies to Marshall Islands

September 21, 2005 - On Friday, September 16, a fire broke out in a storage room in Majuro's only hospital, prompting the evacuation of all the hospital's patients and staff. Emergency personnel worked feverishly alongside with local citizens, and the blaze was contained before destroying the major part of the hospital. However, pharmaceutical and medical supply warehouses were destroyed as well as several other buildings, creating a state of emergency for the capital atoll of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Responding to an urgent request for assistance from the Marshall Islands government, the U.S. government contacted the hospital and confirmed the information about the critical need for immediate supplies of in-patient medications. Working with the U.S. Ambassador to the Marshall Islands, within hours the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) agreed for humanitarian reasons to provide medications from Tripler Army Medical Center and deliver them via military cargo plane the following morning.

Majuro Hospital provided a list of its needs, and working through the night PACOM obtained and packaged the items (which also included some supplies from other hospitals) that they could spare, in addition to providing a physician from Tripler to help assess the situation. The group, which included HHS Representative to the Pacific Islands Stephen Ostroff, departed from Hickam Air Base on Saturday morning and arrived in Majuro at noon.

In a collaborative effort between the U.S. military, Department of State, and HHS, the group delivered critical supplies to Majuro Hospital, which serves as the central point for health services for the country's population of approximately 57,000 people.

Last revised: October 10, 2007