Home > Bilateral Relations> JICA Volunteers in Palau Kaoru Kumagai / Belau National Hospital

JICA Volunteers in Palau

◆Alii from Palau!

Ms. Kaoru Kumagai
JICA Volunteer
Belau National Hospital

　　　I am Kaoru Kumagai, a Senior Volunteer working as a hospital pharmacist at Belau National Hospital (BNH). I have lived a life little to do with the ocean, except for the beach in Ibaraki Prefecture (where I lived) filled with cold water even during summer and video about the ocean that I watched on TV. Now after living in Palau surrounded by the rich nature, I came to think that a life without the ocean in my view would be desolate.

(Newly installed touch panel)

　　　BNH is the only national hospital in Palau and its biggest subject is how to protect people’s health with insufficient resources, facilities and manpower. With over 25 years of experience as a hospital and dispensing pharmacist in Japan, I am aware of the difficulty, more than expected, of the situation where the variety of available medicine for treatment is limited and the stock is only replenished by import and donation.

　　　In Japan, the most medicine prescribed are expensive new drugs that are being developed one after another, and there are many kinds of them for patients with chronic diseases. Coming from that environment, I was surprised at the beginning by very simple prescriptions here, and even had doubts how far these medicines could treat. However, now as my mission getting close to the end, I can’t help acknowledging the value of these effective medicines that have been used for a long time. This is a precious learning, counting into that I applied to the JICA Volunteer Program to gain an experience of handling medicines outside of Japan and contribute to the international community with my skills as a pharmacist.

　　　There is also a large difference in pharmacists’ works between Palau and Japan. Japanese pharmacists actually fill prescriptions under the management of their chief. In Palau where American system is applied, technicians do that job and the main task of pharmacists is the management, while also in charge of the operation of technicians. The Pharmacy Department of BNH is the main office for the pharmaceutical affairs administration of the nation, and its scope includes not only filling prescriptions for in- and out-patients, but supplying medicines and vaccines to health facilities in outline states and controlling smugglings of illegal drugs at the airport.

　　　The methods of dispensing differ greatly from the Japanese system. While an amount for one dose of tablet and powdered medicines is sealed into one package in Japan, one month dose of one kind of medicine are filled into a bottle and liquid medicine is used instead of powdered medicine in Palau. In addition, the refilling prescription system in Palau in which patients can use the same prescription for 3-6 times does not exist in Japan.

　　　My work at the hospital includes compounding medicine together with technicians, giving a monthly lecture of different diseases for technicians in instructing patients for taking medicines, creating advocacy posters for appropriate medicine usage, doing surveys on work environment of the pharmacy dispensary and inspecting the quality of dispensing and stock solution, which is made to increase the work efficiency.

(Lecture　　　　　　　　　　　Poster　　　　　　　　　　　　Inspection)

(Zumba Class)

Outside of the hospital, I participate three evenings a week in ZUMBA classes, a dance exercise which belongs to the health program of Ministry of Health. This is sort of a club activity after work, and I exercise with this intense and fun dance under my Filipino instructor.There are multi-national students from Palau, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. A Japanese dentist at BNH also dance at the front row as an assistant instructor.

　　　 I also learn Palau’s traditional ITABORI from a sensei who works at the National Museum together with other Japanese people living in Palau. I even forget time as I curve Palauan stories onto a board, sweating from the heat.

(Itabori Class)

Although Palau is a small country, I believe it has developed while being influenced by many different cultures of the people who came from around the world. I wish to continue my volunteer while finding out Palau’s unique culture.