Property seen to help CHC’s sustainability

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, along with Department of Public Lands officials and lawmakers, formally turned over to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. a 38,500-square meter property that the organization hopes will generate additional revenue for the Commonwealth Health Center.

Fitial hopes that a commercial building that will be directly connected to the CHC could be built on the property or an investor that could lease the area from the corporation.

The lot is adjacent to the hospital and is composed of two parcels of land: one is 30,000 square meters and the other is 8,500 square meters behind it.

Fitial cited the current financial situation of the healthcare corporation as the main reason for awarding the property.

“I know this will not really help the corporation’s financial situation immediately or in the short term, but I am sure it will greatly help in the long term,” he said.

Fitial also pointed that, if the corporation chooses to build a commercial building on the site, an overpass could be built that would connect the potential building to the hospital.

Fitial cited as example the facility he had seen and experienced in Stanford Hospital, which is directly connected to a commercial building that people have easy access to. The commercial building could house doctors’ clinics, restaurants, and other amenities.

“That’s the kind of concept that I would like to see here,” he said.

Fitial and Public Lands Secretary Oscar Babauta affixed their signatures on the documents that were notarized before them.

The corporation’s CEO, Juan N. Babauta, lauded the governor’s support and disclosed that he had written the governor on Nov. 16, 2011, to ask for the designation of the property.

“The goal of this corporation is to provide the best patient care. In order to provide this, we have to have some money to go along with that. We’re working toward our goal to become financially self-sufficient,” he said.

Awarding of title constitutional

DPL Secretary Babauta said that the awarding of the land title to the corporation is legal pursuant to the mandates of the Constitution’s Section 5(b).

“I strongly believe that the awarding of this land title is a public need for this particular obligation,” he said.

He lauded the administration’s efforts to strengthen the Department of Public Health and make it an independent corporation.

Secretary Babauta could not immediately give an estimate yesterday on the value of the property.

CEO Babauta is confident that the site will not have any issues with the Zoning Office in terms of the property’s future developments.

According to him, the law permits the corporation to engage in entrepreneurial approaches to generate revenue. In addition, the corporation could also borrow money and acquire real property to enhance its financial stability.

Among the attendees in yesterday’s ceremony were House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan), House Ways and Means Committee chair Ray Basa (Cov-Saipan), House Health and Education Welfare Committee chair Silvestre Iguel (Cov-Saipan), Rep. Fredrick Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), DPL director Ray Salas and his staff, members of the Healthcare Corporation board, management team members, and hospital staff.