Dr. Richard Haynes, handed the plaque of recognition to the staff of Belau hospital headed by Bureau of Hospital & Clinical Services of the Ministry of Health, Director Gregory J. Dever.
Dr. Haynes and Mary Dau arrived on Friday and provided free assistance on children for two days.Dr. Haynes met about 20 children on Monday and Tuesday for orthopedic check up to see who among them has bone problem.Shriners Hospital for Children in Honolulu, Hawaii has been providing medical care for orthopedic patients for free for more than 50 years.Every year, Palau sent one or two patients to Shriners Hospital in Hawaii for medical referral once they are identified to have bone problems.Dr. Haynes said the hospital provided transportation and orthopedic care for Palau’s children at no expense to the family.According to him, the patient and his or her escort stay there for two months or longer depending on the seriousness of the case.Shriners has been providing assistance to patients with age ranging from infants to 21-years-old.Dr. Dever thanked the Shriners for being a long time partner in providing orthopedic care to Palau children.“We want to thank the Shriners Hospital in Honolulu for the care that they have been providing to the children of Palau since 1965, or at least for decades now. We have one or two kids a year that are referred to Hawaii due to orthopedic problem which we cannot take care here in Palau,” Dr. Dever said.He said for decades, there are already close to 100 patients all over Palau which have been referred to Hawaii.Dr. Haynes said there are currently 22 Shriners Hospitals in North America, Mexico City and Canada and Hawaii.The hospital had tremendous relationship with Trust Territories.Presently there are already 30 different clinics all over the Western Pacific region.
