“Nurses can still attend to their duties but they will soon burn out,” one of the department heads at the center said yesterday.
Of the center’s 12 nurses, 10 are nonresidents hired by Saipan Employment Agency & Services.
However, the Department of Labor has already revoked all of the CNMI work permits of the SEAS-hired workers, including the Rota nurses, for the company’s failure to pay one of its workers on time.
SEAS has appealed the order to the Labor secretary.
As of press time, SEAS manager Henry Cruz could not be reached for comment.
The contracts of five of the 10 nurses hired by SEAS will expire in June.
The contracts of the other five will expire either in October or next year.
“The nursing division will be understaffed and overtime work will also be limited because of financial problems,” one of the center’s department heads said.
Two nurses hired by SEAS are on vacation. Their contracts will expire this June along with three other nurses.
The center’s department head, who declined to be identified, said the nurses continue to report for work despite their predicament.
The nurses have yet to receive their checks for two payrolls because the central government has not completely paid its obligations to SEAS.
Rota’s municipal government wants the nurses to be hired directly by the CNMI government.
A meeting has been scheduled for June 10 between the mayor’s office and the health center officials to discuss the employment status of the nurses.
