Suspended Island Medical resumes operations

A medical clinic in Susupe that is under suspension has been given a chance to re-open and provide services to the public while it is being ordered to satisfactorily complete pre-conditions set by the Department of Public Health.

This is by virtue of an “Agreement to Stay Suspension of Sanitary Permit” entered into between the department and Micronesia Health Corp., which does business as Island Medical Center.

Although the agreement was signed on June 27, 2008, IMC decided to delay its re-opening and only resumed operations on Aug. 5.

MHC president Tony Glad said they’ve been closed since February and are glad to be back and follow the compliance requirements set by DPH.

“We’re really looking forward to giving quality service to the public. We could not re-open right away because we have to make some renovations of the clinic and that our old staff like nurses went home and we waited for the new ones to settle down and complete their requirements,” Glad said.

He provided the Saipan Tribune a copy of the agreement with the advice of his legal counsel.

The agreement was signed by Glad, IMC’s legal counsel Colin M. Thomson, DPH’s Public Health Administration chief John M. Tagabuel and Assistant Attorney General A. Alexander Gorman.

The agreement stated that DPH shall stay its order to close the clinic and suspend its sanitary permit but reserves the right to reinstate those orders in its sole discretion for reasonable cause.

This would include the clinic’s non-compliance with the terms of the agreement or for any further violations that relate to the facts and circumstances that led to the suspension of its permit on March 4, 2008, “at which time, it [stay order] shall be automatically terminated.”

The agreement also stated that IMC may re-open its medical clinic and serve the community, pending full satisfactory completion of the pre-conditions and criteria set by the DPH.

However, during the time period of the agreement, “IMC may not conduct health certificate examinations for food handlers or for CNMI Immigration purposes, or operate its laboratory, unless and until a future agreement of the parties is entered into and executed for these specific purposes or the sanitary permit is reinstated.”

Both parties have agreed that IMC’s petition for judicial review of Agency Decision filed in the Supreme Court on April 18 shall be held in abeyance for the duration of the agreement.

It further said that in the event IMC pursues its court action in any way prior to termination, the agreement should be automatically terminated.