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Feds to look at CNMI health staff shortage
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Posted on Nov 25 2004
The Department of Health and Human Services intends to make a thorough assessment of the health staffing shortage in the CNMI.
Gov. Juan N. Babauta said he discussed the shortage in his talks with William Hughes in Washington D.C. Hughes is director of the Office Health Care Program, Office of the Counsel to the Inspector General of DHHS.
“Mr. Hughes expressed great interest in the matter of physician shortage and indicated that he would act on the request as quickly as possible once a thorough background review and assessment is made of the health manpower shortage in the CNMI,” said Babauta.
The request refers to the governor’s petition for Hughes’ office to grant Saipan-based Dr. Vicente Aldan waiver of his exclusion from participation in the federal health programs in the CNMI.
Aldan’s exclusion stemmed from a lawsuit filed against him during his residency in California several years ago.
As such, Aldan, who runs Saipan Health Clinic, can only practice medicine in the Commonwealth but he cannot participate in federally funded health programs.
Babauta said Aldan was already allowed by the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General to attend to Medicaid and Medicare recipients in January 2003.
Now, Babauta is requesting Hughes’ office to expand Aldan’s waiver to include all other health care programs that are applicable in the CNMI, especially those federal health care programs dealing with the U.S. Veterans Administration Tri-Care and CHAMPUS.
“This request, if approved, will alleviate the shortage of physicians here in the CNMI by providing care to patients who are beneficiaries under these health programs,” Babauta said.
Shortage in physicians and nursing staff is a perennial problem for the CNMI, causing people to constantly complain of poor and delayed delivery of services.
