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CHC running on reserves, power restoration critical
Number of patients expected to increase
Although water has been restored to the CNMI’s lone public hospital, power is needed as soon as possible for equipment to run smoothly and hospital operations to be in “full use.”
Right now the Commonwealth Health Center is running on a generator, but its CT scanners and a number of other equipment cannot be used.
Water was restored early yesterday morning at the hospital.
“We were using our water wells and basically almost down to the last drop of our reservoirs so we made it a priority and our men worked with Commonwealth Utilities Corp. up to 1am. I would like to give our sincerest appreciation to CUC and we are begging to push for the power because there are certain equipment that cannot function,” Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muña said.
“We’re pretty good and getting the fuel consistently and topping our tanks to make sure that there is available services here at CHC; however, there are certain equipment we can’t [run] such as the CT scanners because the generator cannot handle them. If it is an emergency we will see what we can do,” she added.
One CHCC staffer told Saipan Tribune that aside from several equipment not being used, oxygen-generating machines are also being used by some patients.
No typhoon-related fatalities have been reported so far. The hospital is in full capacity right now but there are extra rooms. The patient number is expected to grow in the days ahead.
“We have been prepared and we are prepared and assisting our staff with mobilizations and bringing their staff here to help and we are also offering assistance to our staff to be able to go to work and offering them these services. Some of them are working despite the fact they have lost their homes,” she said.
Transportation is being provided for the clinical staff that have lost their homes.
Division of Public Health has also sent out responders to different shelters to survey health issues and contact the evacuees to make sure that they are in good health.
“We are mobilizing and DPH is doing an assessment and reaching out to every partner we can contact from off island and make sure that we give them details because we need disaster response and praying that they can come to us immediately,” Muna said.
