The hospital’s laboratory lacks all the 21 needed reagents — the chemicals used in testing specimens, so patients have to go to Diagnostic Laboratory Services, a private clinic on Middle Road in Gualo Rai.
Inos responded to the request of Sen. Ralph DLG. Torres, whose office received several calls and complaints from patients and their families.
In his emergency declaration, Inos said CNMI “faces an imminent threat of disruption of the delivery of critical healthcare services and its ability to keep the doors open to CHC, Tinian Health Center and Rota Health Center due to a severe cash shortage.”
The state of emergency allows the government to suspend procurement rules when awarding contracts.
It also suspend all statutory or regulatory provisions to allow the reprogramming of funds.
In Oct. 2009, the governor declared a state of emergency at CHC to “address the shortage of specialists.”
Last March, another state of emergency was declared to address the nursing shortage on Tinian and Rota.”
In an interview yesterday, Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan said the only way the government can have access to funds outside the general fund is to issue an emergency declaration.
As in the previous emergencies involving the hospital, Demapan said the administration will have to tap funds from the Marianas Public Land Trust, the Commonwealth Development Authority and Department of Public Lands.
In a separate interview, Senator Torres, R-Saipan, disclosed that the vendors who provide supplies to Department of Public Health have not been paid over the last three months.
DLS alone, he said, is owed close to $1 million now that is why it no longer accepts specimens from CHC.
Although he knows the government is having cash flow problems, Torres said it is surprising that vendors of medical supplies are not being paid.
Important medical supplies should be prioritized, he added.
Torres said he will meet today with the officials of Public Health, the Department of Finance and the Division of Procurement and Supply.
In order to find long-term solution to this problem, Torres said, “it is important for us to know where we stand.”
Right now, he added, it all boils down to cash flow. But it is also the administration’s job to set the priorities “so at the end of the day it’s healthcare that should top the list.”
Variety was told on Wednesday that non-essential government employees almost did not get their already delayed pay checks because the business gross revenue tax collection fell short.
