SENATE Vice President Donald Manglona has introduced Senate Bill 23-67, which would allow licensed physicians from foreign countries to practice medicine at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
The bill aims to establish “a structured pathway for the recruitment of exceptionally gifted foreign licensed physicians to enhance healthcare services in the CNMI.”
S.B. 23-67 would also allow the Commonwealth to issue a special medical facility permit to foreign licensed physicians who have been identified and vetted by CHCC board and management, and approved by the CNMI Health Care Professions Licensing Board.
This would provide “a comprehensive and structured pathway for foreign licensed physicians to supplement current healthcare resources to uphold the highest standard of healthcare delivery and enhance the quality of medical services in the CNMI,” the bill stated.
The bill requires interested foreign physicians to apply for a special medical facility permit. The applications will be evaluated by the CHCC leadership and the licensing board. The special medical facility permit will allow foreign physicians to practice at CHCC for three years and, if extended, for another three years.
Last month, the vice president of Kang Dong Orthopedic Hospital in Busan, South Korea met with Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang and CHCC Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna to present a proposal to build a medical facility on Saipan.
Kang Dong Orthopedic Hospital Vice President Sharky Kang said they would like to establish a magnetic resonance imaging or MRI center in the CNMI.
Donald Manglona
