1 Sep 2014

Marshalls medical mission ends

3:13 pm on 1 September 2014

A team of ear, nose and throat specialists has performed over 50 surgery procedures in the Marshall Islands, many of them life-saving, during a 10-day visit from the United States.

It is the third year in a row that the team from US-based Canvasback Missions has worked at Majuro and Ebeye hospitals.

The team says they found many cases of late stage problems, and people have been suffering for years without seeking treatment.

One of the doctors, Tal Dagan, says late-stage ear disease is rampant in Majuro, and people are not seeking treatment for something that is easily preventable.

Dr Dagan says people's attitudes to health care need to change, as the right antibiotics to treat ear infections are readily available in the country.

Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands

Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands Photo: RNZI/Walter Zweifel