sophisticated care. Travel time between the outlying areas and the hospital at Koror ranges from 20 minutes to two hours by boat or plane, depending on tide, weather conditions and distance. Conditions of the outlying dispensaries staffed by health assistants, range from poor to fair and functional. The Southwest Islanders, numbering approximately 150 people, must wait for field-trip ships to travel to the centre for care. There is daily contact vía short-wave radio to the communications centre and the hospital, however . Emergency evacuations for Southwest Islanders are made as necessary. 79. According to the current annual report of the Administering Authority, the staff, equipment and facilities at the hospital are not fully adequate for primary and secondary care. Patients with more complicated illnesses requiring secondar ·y and tertiary care (46 during the period under review) are referred to facilities in Guam and Hawaii. The Government of Palau pays for half the cost of medical care, while the patient is responsible for the other half, plus transportation and off-island living expenses. No patient is refused medical referral, however, if unable to pay bis or her share of the expenses . 80. According to the current annual report of the Administering Authority, construction was under way on a new health facility to replace the MacDonald Memorial Hospital at Koro~. Over 60 per cent of the funding had been approved by the United States Congress. 81. During the period under review, total expenditures for health care in Palau arnounted to $3.l million. Funding was derived mostly from United States federal grants, the Government of Palau, WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF. 82. Medical care is provided by 6 fully qualified doctors, 5 medical officers, 5 registered nurses, 48 graduate nurses, 15 practical nurses and 19 health assistants. 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the healthcare system in Palau, mentioning the infrastructure, staff, and funding of the healthcare facilities, as well as the challenges faced by the population in accessing medical care. The text also touches on the topic of medical referrals to facilities in Guam and Hawaii. Given the focus on healthcare, it is likely that the text is related to the category of Health.

**Category**
Health