Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan in an interview yesterday said the administration hopes that the newly established Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. will continue the prevention programs while running the hospital.
U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary on Insular Affairs Tony Babauta will be the keynote speaker in the ribbon-cutting ceremony that will mark the opening of the hemo-dialysis facility at the Dr. Jose T. Villagomez Center of Public Health and Dialysis at 10 this morning.
The 11,000-square-foot facility has 27 dialysis stations including two isolation stations with similar equipment. The old facility which was shut down last month only had 19 including one isolation station.
Demapan said although it is a very significant event for the CNMI to open the most modern hemo-dialysis center in the Pacific region, “it is also our hope that we decrease the need for dialysis treatment.”
“On one side we have a new and bigger state-of-the art facility and on the other side of it is also the administration’s hope that the community continues to observe healthier lifestyle,” he said, adding that prevention programs are still very important components of a public healthcare system.
It’s still unfortunate, Demapan said, that CNMI has a growing number of dialysis patients. That was why in the old facility, the hospital had to undertake 24 hours of operation, pooling patients at different shifts throughout the day. The lack of equipment and space meant very inconvenient hours for patients, he said.
The new hospital building where the hemo-dialysis center is located was officially opened in 2007. Asked why the opening of hemo-dialysis facility itself had to wait until today, Demapan said it was only last month when Medicare approved the facility.
He explained that the operation of the hemo-dialysis center required the approval of Medicare, thus, it needed to pass the inspection.
Last month, a Medicare team was here and spent several days inspecting the hemo-dialysis center. At the end of inspection the team found the center to be in full compliance.
Immediately after Medicare’s approval, the Department of Public Health started moving the patients from the old facility to the new one.
“So since 2007, we have not had the opportunity to officially have a ceremonial opening of the dialysis center until today,” Demapan said.
Today’s opening rites he added, are a “welcome development” in CNMI healthcare.
“There are other places in the region that lack such kind of facility. We are pleased that those who require such treatment in the CNMI have it right here, he said.
