Rota, Tinian leaders: Restore free meals for patients

Lawmakers and a mayor called for the “immediate restoration” of free meals for Rota and Tinian dialysis patients staying at a guesthouse on Saipan’s Navy Hill, saying that denying patients these meals could later result in higher medical costs for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.

Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota) said that patients’ meal “is an expenditure that should not be sacrificed.”

“We ask for the immediate restoration of free meals. These patients are not given subsistence or per diem allowance. The least we could do is provide them free meals prepared at the hospital,” Manglona told Saipan Tribune.

The Senate president said the expenses for Rota and Tinian patients’ meals have always been shouldered by the hospital.

Tinian Mayor Ramon Dela Cruz said these dialysis patients “require specific diet” that he said could best be prepared by the hospital cafeteria and because they are approved by nutritionists.

“If they don’t follow specific diet because they can’t afford to buy their own meal or they can’t buy meals that are healthy for them, then later on their condition will get worse,” he said, adding that this could translate to more expenses for the hospital in the long run.

Dela Cruz said that based on communication with CHC, each free meal for Tinian and Rota dialysis patients costs $3.75.

“So that’s $7.50 a day for two meals. I told the corporation CEO to continue the meal because these patients require specific diets and to bill my office for the meals of Tinian patients until we find a solution to this,” Dela Cruz said.

The Tinian mayor said it is “imperative” that free meals continue to be provided to patients, and CHC could do this by ridding the hospital of political appointees who do not necessarily belong to CHC.

“CHC should cut the fat in there, but not take away the meals of patients. As you know, dialysis services are not available on Rota and Tinian. If they were, these patients need to stay here and away from their family. Right now we’re on a wait-and-see,” he added.

CHC chief executive officer Juan N. Babauta earlier issued a memo stating that meal services and bottled water for Rota and Tinian medical referral patients staying at the guest house will be discontinued on Feb. 1, 2012. These services may only resume if funding is made available.

Rep. Trenton Conner (R-Tinian) said there’s no ample time given to prepare these patients for the changes that CHC wants to implement.

Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, in an interview with reporters on Thursday, said that while the administration recognizes the financial difficulties the corporation is in, the decision to discontinue free meals to these patients “may be a bit hasty” and the corporation may want to reconsider.

Sen. Ralph Torres (R-Saipan), chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, said that the panel is also asking CHC to restore the free meals to Tinian and Rota patients as soon as possible.

Torres sent a letter yesterday to CHC’s Babauta, requesting a meeting on Tuesday at 3pm in the Senate chamber on Capital Hill to discuss issues that include CHC’s decision to stop the free meals to interisland medical referral patients.

“I would like to discuss the current status of CHC since its recent establishment, payroll issues, meals of our patients and our hospitals on Rota and Tinian,” Torres told Babauta.

The senator also asked for a copy of CHC’s rules and regulations, and organizational charts for Saipan, Tinian and Rota.