Those who discussed the matter with the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare were the board’s acting chairman, Dr. Ken Pierson, members Dr. Leticia Borja and Dr. Ahmad Al-Alou, and executive director Florence C. Sablan.
The senators who attended the meeting were committee chairman Sen. Ralph DLG Torres, R-Saipan, Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, and Sen. Juan M. Ayuyu, Ind.-Rota.
The board is concerned about the many necessary licensing requirements that House Bill 17-71 does not consider in allowing foreign doctors to work in the CNMI.
Sablan said the board does not totally oppose the bill. It agrees that the shortage of physicians here may be addressed by temporarily allowing foreign trained and licensed doctors.
“We just want to make sure that we bring in good quality doctors here,” she said.
Torres asked the board to submit its own recommendations before the Senate takes action on the bill, which is supported by the administration.
Introduced by Rep. Sylvestre I. Iguel, Covenant-Saipan, H.B. 17-71 has been passed by the House and is now with Torres’ committee.
It seeks to allow the islands’ licensing board to license foreign and international medical graduates who do not have U.S. training or U.S. license.
Torres said he recognizes the concerns of the licensing board but, he added, “we also continue to hear complaints about lack of doctors and lack of services.”
He said they “want to make the bill work while addressing the board’s concerns.”
According to the board, the bill “is not nearly restrictive enough with regard to the required training, experience, credentialing and verification of good standing that is needed to ensure that a comparable standard to U.S. requirements is met.”
