SENATE Floor Leader Corina Magofna on Wednesday prefiled Senate Bill 23-52, which would authorize the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services to certify non-emergency ambulances operated by private healthcare service providers.
S.B. 23-52 stated that it would also ensure the department’s “safety certification capabilities in inspecting ambulances and personnel that provide emergency and non-emergency services to the public….”
Under the bill, EMS-certified non-emergency medical transport ambulance “are considered essential services.”
“[P]rivate service providers of non-emergency medical transport ambulances servicing our residents to and from approved medical facilities … are critical collaborators during [a] time of need and emergency situations in the CNMI,” the bill stated.
“Thus, a modern robust program of emergency medical service is vital to the well-being of the people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is equally important that the CNMI maintain the most up-to-date and modern types of available emergency medical services for the people.”
Corina Magofna
