Kill Senate Bill 18-52!

It has been awhile since I last wrote anything of interest about any center of attention because my computer crashed out on me. I have to borrow a friend’s computer to write what I think about Sen. Bill 18-52. As a patient that is recurrently admitted into CHC, I feel duty-bound to express my views about Sen. Bill 18-52.
When the new Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. was created by law, it was also outfitted with an advisory board that is invented to advice the management of our healthcare facilities. That was good, and in everyone’s mind, we thought that the board members themselves should at the least posses a certain bare minimum degree of health management educational penetration for them to deliver sound advices to the management of the corporation. This present advisory board of CHCC leaves us with so much to be desired.

I am appalled when I learned that a lame duck Senate hastily passes a very critical bill that has to do with the health and medicinal needs of the people of the Commonwealth. First of all, I asked myself why the Senate has to pass such a tremendous health-related bill without even conducting a public hearing to listen to what the people in the community has to say publicly about it.

I am afraid that with the passage and the ultimate bill (SB 18-52) being signed into law, more doctors and nurses and other critical staff members of the CNMI’s lone hospital will leave in droves because it is predictable as to what will happen next just as soon as the CHCC’s advisory board becomes a full governing board. CHCC will be practically owned by chairman Mr. Joaquin Torres and his vice chairman Mr. Pedro Dela Cruz. No! Not in the hands of these!

Do you remember when the existing board was appointed and chairman Mr. Joaquin Torres took a tour of the hospital and he had cussed his way through all the doctors using profane language from his own lips? Do you remember when he particularly went into the ER section of the hospital and started bullying the doctors? Can you count how many times he became out of order during official meetings including the most recent one at the House chamber of the 18th Legislature? Do you see how he made public spectacle of himself treating the current management of CHCC as a regime instead of working together amicably to find solutions? He was very busy promoting his own agenda of becoming the first governor of CHCC!

Joaquin and Pedro insulted Dr. Sherleen Osman calling her a liar. But where were Joaquin and Pedro when Dr. Osman and Ms. Esther Muna were busy transforming CHC’s Dialysis Center into one of the best in the region and to the approval of CMS? Where were they? And time again, I would ask, where were they? Shame on you Joaquin and Pedro for thinking that you can even disrespectfully conduct and promote your agenda violating the rules of congress when you show-cased your attitudes unbecoming of a public official in front of the members of the 18th Legislature.

The federal team that came to assist the hospital during its most critical period has all made very strong recommendations on Ms. Esther Muna as interim CEO of CHCC based on her performance and educational acumen

I am being treated along with over more than 150 other dialysis patients by Dr. Sherleen Osman and we find her to be highly competent, straight forward, and always up to par with the way she treats her patients. Seven years now since I have been undergoing dialysis treatment.

SB 18-52 is not good with Joaquin and Pedro at the helm of CHCC. I feel good that the 18th Legislature referred back to the committee on health SB 18-52. Perhaps the 19th Legislature will add amendments to the bill that will include among others that each appointee as governing board member a provision mandating each member possesses a minimum educational penetration on healthcare from an accredited institution.

I am urging the members of the 19th Legislature look seriously into SB 18-52 and perhaps kill it in its current form. I am also urging governor Inos to veto SB 18-52 should it reach his desk. Finally, I am urging our senators to be more prudent when handling bills on the health of the people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Alexandro “The Colonel” Sablan
Dandan