Muna pleased with SB 18-52 referred to House committee

Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muna said she is pleased with the House of Representatives’ decision to refer back to the Committee in Health and Welfare a Senate bill that proposes to change the corporation’s advisory board into a governing board.

Senate Bill 18-52, authored by Sen. Joaquin Borja (Ind-Tinian), seeks to amend some sections of Public Law 16-51 to strip the governor of the power to appoint the corporation’s chief executive officer and give that power to the board and also strip voting rights of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s CEO and other hospital execs involved in board meetings.

Muna said that PL 16-51 considered placing the board as advisory for many reasons and it was created with the help of our people in mind.

“It’s obvious the push for passing SB 18-52 is politically motivated because it lowers the qualification requirement for the board members and the directors of Rota and Tinian and that I’m not a ‘Yes, sir’ CEO. I pray the Legislature look at this bill and consider what’s best for the CNMI and not just because ‘Esther Muna is CEO’,” Muna said.

“If its ‘Esther Muna’ you want out and are truly not pleased with her performance, then PL 16-51 can remedy that. However, if you agree a CEO should not be changed with a performance that shows progress considering the lack of support from the board, the lack of funding given to CHCC, and the fact that it was in the state of disaster two years ago, then PL 16-51 can ensure that,” she added.

Muna asked the Legislature not to change the law and remove the voting rights of the two critical decision makers who will know more about health care and leave it solely in the hands of individuals who don’t.

“Let it be known that I never lobbied for this job and the governor and the board members know that. I was officially appointed in April 2014 because I had informed the governor and CHCC chairman that I will be leaving CHCC. Whether its ‘Esther Muna’ leading this organization or not, the person selected to lead should remain qualified and committed and should not have to be easily influenced by politics. SB 18-52, I assure you will change that,” she said.

‘Bill has nothing to do with her position’

In a separate interview, CHCC board of trustees chair Joaquin Torres said that he recommended to the House for the bill to be referred back to the committee.

Despite the argument that went on at the Legislature, Torres said that there were a lot of questions asked during the House session and that it is only fair that the questions be answered honestly and completely.

When asked if the push for the passage for SB 18-52 was due to Muna’s position, Torres said that it had nothing to do with the CHCC CEO.

“The bill basically establishes a governing board so the bill doesn’t remove her from her position. It has nothing to do with her position, because of a resolution that was adopted earlier in May 2014, Muna will be evaluated,” Torres said.

He added that most board members of hospitals in the U.S. mainland have no background in health administration.
“That’s not a requirement, most public corporations in the NMI have a governing board and are not composed of experts in healthcare and they oversee performance and make policies, without the expertise. What Muna said is her own opinion and it is not based on proven systems or structures,” Torres said.

Aside from Torres, other board members Pete Dela Cruz and Philip Mendiola-Long support the bill as well. One other board member Tony Raho had made it clear that he did not support the bill and said that it should be further reviewed. Roy Rios could not be reached for comment as of press time.