From left, Dr. Martin Rohringer, deputy chief medical officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation; Dr. Jonalyn Rodriquez-Bernardino, Marianas Eye Institute ophthalmologist; Wendielyn Escota, MEI general manager; and Dr. David Khorram, MEI co-founder and medical director.
Photo by Bryan Manabat
JONALYN Rodriguez-Bernardino, the first foreign physician licensed to work in the CNMI, has joined Marianas Eye Institute.
She is the first foreign health professional hired since Senate Bill 23-67, introduced by Sen. Donald Manglona, became Public Law 23-33 to address the shortage of primary care doctors in the CNMI. The law allows the CNMI Health Care Professional Licensing Board to promulgate regulations for the licensing of qualified foreign physicians.
Dr. Rodriguez-Bernardino joined Marianas Eye Institute as its new ophthalmologist after signing a three-year contract with the eye care clinic. She is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained cornea specialist who previously practiced at José R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila. She obtained her medical degree from the University of the Philippines.
“I am thrilled to extend my practice here,” she told reporters in an interview on Thursday. Saipan “feels like home,” she added.
Dr. Martin Rohringer, deputy chief medical officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, said the “collaboration with local leaders led to a pathway to find talented individuals such as Jonalyn, and we are grateful to the [CNMI] leadership that has allowed this and recognized the need of the community.”
Rohringer said there are several other qualified physicians interested in moving to the CNMI.
“The … big barrier is … immigration,” he added. “Immigration, as everyone knows, has been complicated by recent policies at the federal level, but we will work with immigration [authorities] to find ways through it and bring these talented people to our community.”
Dr. David Khorram, co-founder and medical director of Marianas Eye Institute, said the new CNMI law allows them to broaden their hiring pool and recruit faster and help them bring top qualified people to serve the local population.
“The doctor’s hiring is significant. The needs of the population are acute, and I think the biggest issue that we are really talking about here is having the ability for the patients on Saipan with eye problems to continue to get ophthalmic care,” Khorram added.
He said if there were no ophthalmologists in the CNMI, “we’re looking at probably about a 100 people per year just going blind.”
Correction: An earlier version of this news story erroneously stated that Senate President Dennis Mendiola authored Senate Bill 23-67. In fact, it was authored by Sen. Donald Manglona.
