I acknowledge the receipt of the letter from Mrs. Remy B. Tudela. The letter was presented to me at around 6 p.m., June 10. Mrs. Tudela and I had a meeting in the presence of Mr. Ned Arriola. I humbly apologized to Mrs. Tudela for any alleged insensitivity, though some statements and actions may have been taken out of context and/or misconstrued.
I want to continue to work with the acting director of nursing through the current chain of command, which is via the office of the deputy for hospital administration. I’m also encouraging all complaints to be put through the established employee grievance process.
I honor Gov. Juan Nekai Babauta for being very courageous and choosing to appoint a Cabinet member who may not be politically correct for many of his close supporters. This thinking is new to some people who have been entrenched in government for a long time and have perhaps lost perspective. Health care is too important for decisions to be made based on political patronage, family connections, or political correctness.
Governor Babauta is now the governor for the entire people of the CNMI and not just the people who supported him during the election. As secretary of public health I will continue to make decisions based on the fact that the first business and mission of the Department of Public Health and the Commonwealth Health Center is service to all the people of the CNMI, with the patients we serve at the center. To that end, I will continue to do my best to accomplish the health goals of the Babauta/Benavente administration.James U. Hofschneider, M.D.
Secretary of Public Health
