Ni'ihau medical clinic proposed

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser KauaÎi Bureau

WAIMEA, Kaua'i — The remote island of Ni'ihau could get a medical clinic and telemedicine capabilities that will link its Hawaiian-speaking residents with a statewide medical network.

The project would be paid for through a $591,000 federal grant that will allow doctors to occasionally visit the island to meet with patients in a modern clinic setting, and also allow patients to discuss conditions or emergencies with medical personnel on other islands without leaving Ni'ihau.

Ni'ihau Ranch manager Bruce Robinson said that immediate discussions on the proposed clinic are premature because a number of issues remain.

Medical officials are studying the details of placing a modern clinic on an island without running water or electrical service, but have no doubt they will succeed, said Tom Driskill, president and chief executive officer of Hawai'i Health Systems Corp., which runs a number of state hospital facilities.

"On Ni'ihau, there are health issues related to diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease and various dietary problems," Driskill said. "These are not unique to Ni'ihau. They are common in our rural areas."

What is unique to the island with a population of roughly 200 Native Hawaiians is that its residents have no ready access to medical care.

Ni'ihau, 17 miles from Kaua'i, has no airport and serious medical issues are normally handled by helicopter evacuation to Kaua'i.