Patient files complaint against Medical Referral staff

The family of Moses Torres Pangelinan has filed a complaint against Jayson Hocog Aldan, a staff of the CNMI Medical Referral Program in Hawaii. The letter of complaint, dated Sept. 6, 2016, was addressed to program director Ronald Sablan.

The letter, a copy of which was given to the Saipan Tribune, detailed the events that happened on July 29, 2016 when Pangelinan, escorted by his daughter Maria Ana Pangelinan-Rangamar and son-in-law Sylvan M. Rangamar—who paid for his airline ticket, had his scheduled check up at the Queens Medical Wound Care Unit.

Pangelinan-Rangamar listed the incidents “that occurred and the conversation between the [Medical Referral] personnel, myself, and other member of my family who witnessed this terrible treatment and attitude.”

She said that her father had a 9am appointment at Queens with Aldan arriving at their hotel, Pagoda Hotel, to pick them up at around 8:15am. Aldan dropped them off at the hospital where he told Pangelinan and his family to text or call him when they are done with the check up and would return to the hotel.

Pangelinan-Rangamar said that her father’s treatment on his right foot lasted for only 30 minutes so he asked her husband to text Aldan. Rangamar then informed Aldan: “Bro, we’re done at Wound Care” with the Medical Referral staff answering back “okay, picking up at Pagoda and dropping to Queens. Be there soon.”

She said that close to two hours later Aldan was still not at the hospital so she asked her husband to text somebody else. Rangamar asked another Medical Referral staff Joe Lifoifoi. “Prim can someone pick us up at Queens Wound Care,” he texted Lifoifoi.

“I’m not sure what happened to Jay. [His] last text at ‘9:36am picking up at Pagoda’ and he will be on his way here but still none. I mean, it’s been an hour since last text, please lai, send someone else,” Rangamar’s text to Lifoifoi continued.

Lifoifoi, after Rangamar’s text, called him and told him that he was not sure what happened to Aldan. “We’re here at Don Quijote and when we’re done we’ll come pick you guys up.”

Lifoifoi added that Rangamar should have called him if an incident like this happened. Lifoifoi along with Katrina Lizama arrived at the hospital and were transported back to their hotel.

On Aug. 5, she asked Aldan, who picked up another Medical Referral patient at the Pagoda Hotel, if he was the one who would fetch them. “Are you going to pick up from here [Pagoda] and just leave us off at Queens?” To which Aldan responded “yes.”

Her husband then asked Aldan: “What she meant is, are you going to drop us off and make us wait for two hours like the last time you made us wait at Queens?”

Aldan then said that he texted Lifoifoi and Lizama “to pick you guys up.” Pangelinan-Rangamar, however, said it was her husband who was the one who texted Lifoifoi and not Aldan.

It was then when voices were raised and an argument followed between Rangamar and Aldan, who exchanged heated words. Aldan further got mad when Rangamar asked him “what kind of public servant are you?”

Aldan said that he was insulted when Rangamar called him a servant and answered that he was not a “political hire” and the position on his contract is a Medical Referral driver. He even told Rangamar and his wife that he would ask Lifoifoi to have a meeting about the incident.

Pangelinan-Rangamar said Aldan did not mind the other hotel guests and continued to talk in a loud voice. She said that her husband asked Aldan to go since there were two people waiting in the car who needed to be dropped for their medical appointment.

Aldan, before leaving, told them “I’m going to tell [Lifoifoi] and we’re going to have a meeting about this, you small-minded people.”

Pangelinan-Rangamar said that later on the same day on Aug. 5, Lifoifoi called them and said he wanted to talk to her husband. Rangamar recounted to Lifoifoi what had happened on July 29.

Lifoifoi told Rangamar that Aldan was not “like this and [he] cares about you guys because you guys are from the home island.”

The family is hoping director Sablan would act on the matter.