Healthcare corp. wants to hire eight additional doctors

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. wants to hire eight additional doctors, based on its latest budget submission to the Legislature.

Corporation chief executive officer Juan N. Babauta disclosed to Saipan Tribune that there are currently 27 doctors working at the Commonwealth Health Center. Of these number, three are locums, or short-term hires, Babauta said. In addition, the hospital also has four physician assistants.

For fiscal year 2012, the corporation proposes an operating budget of $38.5 million, of which $6 million will be used to pay for the salaries of doctors and physician assistants.

Saipan Tribune learned that the corporation wants to hire replacements for physicians who left their posts last year, including Drs. Shirish Balachandra, Edward Kolner, George Macris, and Timothy Taylor.

The corporation is also asking for funding to fill four other vacant slots for doctors: two for pediatrics, one for the emergency room, and one general physician.

Babauta said the $6 million proposed salaries for these doctors include the one-year housing allowance, which varies from $7,200 to $9,500 per physician.

$250K maximum salary

Babauta described the current salary the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. offers to doctors as “within range,” noting a maximum of $250,000 per annum for a nephrologist. The amount is indicated in the corporation’s 2012 budget proposal that was recently presented to the Legislature.

Babauta pointed out that without a nephrologist, CHC could lose millions of federal reimbursements from both Medicare, which require at least one.

“I know that no one is indispensable, but a nephrologist is.in this case because if we don’t have one, our dialysis center will be ordered shut down. Medicare requires that there should be nephrologist at all times in the facility,” he told Saipan Tribune, adding that he is also worried that without the additional nephrologist, this may overwork and burn out the only one they have right now.

CHC has been operating without a radiologist for many years and Babauta said that salary and the volume of work have been big challenges to get one onboard.

“The reason why we don’t have a radiologist is because this position requires $300,000 salary-as the lowest. The other challenge is the volume of work for the radiologist here is not enough.” he said.

CHC pays $70,000 per annum as the lowest salary at the physician level and this is for physician assistant positions.