Austerity exemption for key sections at CHC sought

Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation chief executive officer Juan N. Babauta will seek an exemption to the government’s austerity Fridays for personnel working in key administrative sections at the Commonwealth Health Center.

Babauta said these sections are instrumental in the revenue-generating capacity of the newly formed corporation, which took over CHC as well as Tinian and Rota Health centers last Oct. 1.

Babauta, along with acting director for medical affairs Dr. Dan Lamar, personally made the request to Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos during the official’s visit to the hospital last week.

Babauta said that recently, he issued a memorandum to personnel starting that the Fitial administration’s policy on the austerity measure is still in effect at the hospital despite it now being a semi-government agency.

“I didn’t submit yet for an exemption and I issued a memorandum carrying out that the policy of the administration that the austerity measure is in still in effect. Yes, there are discussions right now as to the reasons why some units [administrative sections] need to be opened because of the critical services that we provide to the community and the potential for us to generate revenues from these services,” he said.

Babauta said that he’s glad that the lieutenant governor made a personal visit to CHC and saw for himself the importance of the hospital’s key departments.

Under the 2011 appropriations measure, only doctors and nurses are included on the austerity Friday exemption list due to the urgency of their services.

But according to Dr. Lamar, it is during austerity Fridays and other non-working holidays that the bulk of the public troop to the hospital to avail of services. Because administrative offices and other clinics are closed during austerity Fridays, this has hampered the corporation’s potential to receive payment from some services which, if chosen, could be availed by patients.

Lamar, Babauta, and Inos discussed this exemption request in an meeting last week.

Inos told Saipan Tribune that he will convey Babauta’s request for an exemption of other hospital employees to Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.

“From my standpoint, I would talk to the governor about this matter because on the surface, it appears that we have to be available 24/7 to make sure that we provide the medical needs and delivery of healthcare services to our people. We will work on this,” said Inos during the meeting, adding that Babauta will be asked to provide the list of offices and personnel that will be recommended exempted from the austerity Fridays.

Babauta earlier told Saipan Tribune that the hospital has 25 physicians and over 200 nurses onboard. Total employees absorbed by the corporation was estimated at nearly 600 in the three islands.