Dr. Dilchesiil Orak

Dr. Dilchesiil Orak is a medical officer at Belau National Hospital (BNH) in Koror, focusing on maternal and child health services for Palau's population. With 9 years of clinical experience, Dr. Orak manages obstetric care, neonatal health, and child health for Palauans, coordinating with Guam and the Philippines for complex cases.

Maternal health in Palau is significantly influenced by the high rates of obesity and diabetes among Palauan women of reproductive age, leading to increased rates of gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and macrosomic newborns. Childhood obesity is also a growing concern, driven by dietary transition in Palauan communities. Dr. Orak's practice addresses these challenges alongside traditional maternal and child health priorities.

Dr. Orak is bilingual in English and Palauan. She is the primary maternal health clinician at BNH and works closely with midwives and nursing staff to ensure safe delivery and neonatal care for Palauan mothers.

Dr. Orak completed her MD at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine under Palau's Compact of Free Association educational pathway, which gives Palauan students access to US-affiliated medical education. She holds a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Newborn Resuscitation Programme (NRP) certification. She has completed EmONC (Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care) training and IMCI (Integrated Management of Childhood Illness) certification, both essential competencies for a small island maternal and child health service where she must manage obstetric and neonatal emergencies with limited backup resources. She completed clinical obstetric attachments at Guam Regional Medical City and at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawaii — a Pacific regional leader in maternal-fetal medicine — gaining advanced experience in managing high-risk obstetrics including gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and macrosomia in Pacific island patient populations. She participates in the Pacific Open Learning Health Net (POLHN) continuing maternal health education programme.

Dr. Orak's clinical expertise focuses on obstetric care in a setting where gestational diabetes and hypertension in pregnancy are common complications. She manages antenatal care including gestational diabetes screening and management, hypertension in pregnancy, and nutritional counselling. She manages labour and delivery and handles obstetric emergencies including postpartum haemorrhage and eclampsia.

In child health, she manages neonatal complications, childhood obesity screening and management, respiratory infections, anaemia, and vaccine-preventable diseases. She coordinates Palau's expanded immunisation programme and provides family planning services.

Dr. Orak is dedicated to serving Palau's women and children and to improving maternal and child health outcomes in the island nation. She has contributed to maternal health data through the Palau Ministry of Health and participated in UNFPA Pacific maternal health capacity assessments.

She collaborates with UNICEF Palau and the WHO Western Pacific Office on childhood immunisation surveillance and childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Her clinical work on gestational diabetes management at BNH has contributed to discussions on NCD prevention in Palauan reproductive health.

Belau National Hospital provides maternal and child health services for Palau's population. Complex obstetric cases and paediatric cases requiring specialist care not available in Palau — including neonatal intensive care, paediatric surgery, and specialist obstetric intervention — are referred to Guam Regional Medical City or Hawaii.

International visitors to Palau who are pregnant or have children needing medical care should attend BNH's outpatient department. Comprehensive medical evacuation insurance is strongly recommended.

Dr. Orak has been recognised by the Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services for her sustained contributions to maternal and child health services at Belau National Hospital, including her leadership of the antenatal care quality improvement initiative. She received acknowledgement from UNFPA Pacific for her work on improving antenatal care quality in Palau, particularly regarding gestational diabetes screening and management, which addresses one of the leading obstetric risks in the Palauan population. She received recognition from UNICEF for her contributions to Palau's childhood immunisation programme, including achieving and maintaining high vaccination coverage rates. She has participated in Pacific regional maternal health meetings co-ordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, representing Palau's maternal and child health experience.