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Senator eyes changing CHC board from ‘advisory’ to ‘governing’
Power to appoint CEO to rest with board, not governor
Sen. Joaquin Borja (Ind-Tinian) seeks to change the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s board of trustees from an “advisory” to a “governing” one, and to take away from the governor the authority to appoint the chief executive officer and give that power to the board instead. He also proposes to reduce the number of trustees from seven to five.
The current advisory CHC board does not see eye to eye with CEO Esther Muña on a number of issues, such that Gov. Eloy S. Inos now feels compelled to mediate.
Borja’s Senate Bill 18-52 could be acted on in this afternoon’s session, wherein senators are also expected to pass a House concurrent resolution on the CNMI government’s revenues and resources for fiscal year 2015.
The bill amends certain sections of Public Law 16-51 or the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Act of 2008.
Borja wants to “empower” the CHC board of trustees “to make policies and perform all acts necessary and expedient to ensure the delivery of quality care in a financially responsible manner” for the CNMI people.
He said it is imperative that a qualified group of individuals, rather than an individual, make the decisions for the corporation.
The Tinian senator’s bill also requires CHC to “provide at all times medical referral services, including the payment of full airfare and transportation costs of patients and escorts on Tinian and Rota who are referred by a licensed physician to the Commonwealth Health Center for further medical services or testing.”
The bill also changes from monthly to quarterly CHC’s issuance of public financial statements.
S.B. 18-52 also requires the chief financial officer to have at least a master’s degree in business administration and five years of experience in healthcare finances. The CFO, according to the bill, shall have custody of all of CHC’s money, among other things.
