Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Believing in partnerships has proven to save thousands of dollars for the local government and the territory’s only hospital — The LBJ Tropical Medical Center, referred to as LBJ hospital.  

One such partnership is the expertise provided by a team of volunteer doctors from the U.S., currently on island working with local healthcare personnel.

LBJ Acting CEO Dr. Akapusi Ledua in response to Samoa News questions said partnerships enable the hospital to have the kind of program that is sustainable.

The program involves the rotation of volunteer doctors from the mainland to help sustain health services at LBJ hospital. "Our people need to take ownership of our own health and to take ownership of our own health here, we need this kind of sustainability.”

One such volunteer is Dr. Harold Walker, an Interventional Radiologist from Arizona, with 37 plus years of practice. CT Scan readings have been backed up since October 2022 and since his arrival he is just 1- 2 weeks away from completing them all.

In addition to diagnosing and treating patients, Dr. Walker hopes to teach and introduce to the Radiology & ER Department new interconnection procedures. 

Asked how he’s getting along here, with a smile, Dr. Walker said, "American Samoa is a beautiful island." Walker has three children — two daughters, and one son. While here he says: "My wife Kallie and I love to snorkel and we have seen amazing reefs and fish already. The one Samoan food that I have really learned to like is palusami."

Adding: "The staff and doctors in the orthopedic department have been great to work with."

Another member of the volunteer group is James Gebhard, M.D Orthopedic & Spinal Surgeon from Colorado. He is here with his wife Helen. They have five children and nine grandchildren. James Gebhard has seen over 1,600 patients since his arrival in April 2022 and has administered a total of 89 spinal injections with four spinal surgeries, and completed two lumbar and two cervical surgeries.

"I have enjoyed taking care of patients with spine and orthopedic problems," he noted.

Also volunteering is Dr. Melvin Eric Carter, a Cardiologist from Utah, who has 34 plus years of practice in his pocket, and his wife, Allison Carter RN, NP who is the medical assistant to her husband. They have seven children, seven grandchildren, with two grandchildren on the way.  They have seen over 600 patients since their arrival. "We are blessed to be on your Island and we were able to prevent about 20- 30 patients from going overseas."

Dr Ledua told Samoa News that the goal is to reduce off island referrals significantly and the hospital admin is targeting in the next 12 months to reduce it by 70 percent.

"We will still have a certain small percentage of people that would need a referral off island for whatever reasons. But a significant amount of our own people should be able to treat them here.

“Our elderly population don't like to go off island, but they are forced to go off island, because the services they need are not provided here.

“So this is what we're working on with volunteers here, we're trying to develop our local capacity and trying to prepare ourselves so we can provide the service that the people need.

“We have to develop our own local capacity with equipment, supplies, medications, so we can provide here what's needed for our own people.

"That's the goal we have here and we're hoping not long, I will say in 12 to 24 months we should achieve some of these significant changes that we're talking about.

“The goal is for our own community to take ownership of this program moving forward,” Dr. Ledua said.