Public Health manager for medical referral services Ronald D. Sablan, in an interview, said as of yesterday, 907 patients had already been on medical referrals since January.
Sablan said since the Continental Airlines pulled out from the CNMI, the hospital had to use Air Care jet services or private air ambulance to transport patients to the nearest off-island hospital.
Air Care jet service costs about $45,000 from here to the Philippines and about $10,000 to Guam.
The amount allocated for medical referrals each year includes airfare, medical bills, subsistence allowances, hotels and other items.
“The number of referrals we get each month depends on the medical conditions of the patients, but we process and review some 28 applications for medical referrals, and see to about 175 cases each day,” Sablan said.
Medical referrals are processed within a week after a committee composed of six doctors and four advisory personnel reviews the applications, he added.
On Wednesday night, Sablan said an Air Care jet arrived to transport two patients to the Philippines but one of the patients died before he was transported.
He said in 2006, 565 patients were referred to the Philippines, Guam and other places. Last year, 816 patients were flown to off-island hospitals.
Sablan said the top three emergency cases were radiology, oncology and cardiac arrest.
