3 physicians express concern vs CHCC abolition

Two physicians who have been with the Commonwealth Health Center since it was a line department under the Office of the Governor are opposed to the idea of abolishing the agency that runs it, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., and placing it once more under a resurrected Department of Public Health.

Another physician, who was hired only two years ago, also joined the two in opposing House Bill 20-149, saying the bill, as introduced by Janet Maratita (R-Saipan), is ineffective.

H.B. 20-149 seeks to abolish CHCC and its six-month-old board.

Speaking last Thursday, the three physicians pointed out that CHC has shown improvements since being cited by the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services.

“This hospital took a turn when [CHCC CEO Esther Muña] returned and convinced Medicare that this place was worth saving. She used her skill and all the help that Medicare provided to keep this institution afloat and make it even better and now they want it back. Didn’t they learn anything?” one physician asked.

The three agreed to speak on the condition that they not be named.

“This institution needs qualified people, not political hires. Nobody’s health should be in the hands of the government,” he added.

According to him, when CHC was a line department under the Office of the Governor, salaries were late, supplies were scarce, and suppliers were not paid on time. He said that nurses and medical staff “left out of frustration.”

Another questioned “how well” H.B. 20-149 is, compared to the newly established CHCC governing board, which was completed in June 2017.

“The 19th CNMI Legislature passed a law a little over a year ago to create a governing board. The responsibilities of this board are enormous. The board has just taken over…and now a month later the Legislature wants to do something different? If the last law wasn’t considered well enough to last more than a month, who thinks that this one is well enough considered?” asked the doctor.

Citing Public Law 16-51, which created CHCC and abolished DPH, the physician pointed out that Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, who was then chairman of the Health, Education, and Welfare Committee at the time, supported the law’s intent.

“The committee finds that the current status of the Commonwealth Health Center, as a Division of the Department of Public Health and as a line agency of the Executive Branch, naturally makes it difficult to operate the hospital in a more self-sufficient manner,” the physician said, quoting the committee report on P.L. 16-51.

The third physician, who has been with CHC for only two and half years, said that his main duty is to his patients.

“…Any unnecessary, cumbersome challenges impeding my care of them are extremely worrisome to me. Reverting CHCC back to the Executive Branch will add multiple layers of bureaucracy to an otherwise complex healthcare system that both my patients and I have to navigate. When there is delay in care, people can and will suffer. In some cases, irrevocably,” said the physician.

“[CHC] is a place that I enjoy working at and am willing to continue to work at if I can feel that my ability to care of my patients will not be jeopardized. We already have a governing board and, through them, I believe that we can have the accountability that is necessary for a transparent and financially sound healthcare organization,” he said.