Previous Story
Bill to keep ER doctor on staff to go before House
|
Posted on Sep 23 2008
A bill expected to go before the House of Representatives on Friday will allow the Department of Public Health to retain an emergency room doctor who, under the current public law, is not allowed contract renewal.
“Dr. Priyantha Wijay is currently a mainstay of the ER department schedule but is not eligible for contract renewal due to the current restrictions of Public Law 15-108,” said DPH lawyer Alex Gorman.
Under the current public law, physicians and dentists who are not citizens or permanent residents must be board-certified. Gorman has drafted a bill that would allow those with U.S. or Canadian board-eligible status to work for DPH. Gorman also included a grandfather clause that would allow physicians and dentists who are not citizens or permanent residents, but have worked with DPH since Jan. 1, 2008, to continue working.
No physicians or dentists interested in working at DPH have been turned away, “but we envision that will happen in the future if we don’t change the law,” Gorman said.
The bill also expands the health care professionals exempted from the public law. Under the proposed bill, health care professionals who are licensed, certified, registered or otherwise regulated by the Health Care Professions Licensing Board may be exempted if they are graduates of recognized colleges and universities with a degree in their area of specialty in their country of origin. They must also satisfy all of their country’s professional licensing and certification requirements in addition to satisfying, if applicable, the licensure requirements established by the Commonwealth Health Care Professions Licensing Board.
The exemptions will retroactively go into effect and expire Sept. 30, 2017, according to the bill.
Gorman said he believes the bill is going to be fast-tracked through the legislative process.
