POLICY changes and funding are needed to improve public health, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna told members of the House Committee on Health and Welfare.
Muna and other CHCC officials were invited to a meeting with the committee on Friday.
Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Chief Executive Officer Esther Muna speaks before the House Committee on Health and Welfare in the House chamber on Friday.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
Aside from the committee chair, Rep. Tina Sablan, the other committee members present were vice chair Rep. Leila Staffler, Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, Reps. Sheila Babauta and Donald Manglona.
Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez also attended the meeting.
Muna provided the committee a white paper on CNMI health issues.
She said the white paper discusses “health access in the CNMI and how health financing and the medical referral program play a big role in improving the health of our people.” It also contains a list of priorities that should be considered by the Legislature, she added.
The issues mentioned by the white paper include the need for sufficient funding appropriation for CHCC, amendments to public laws, fair and reasonable utility rates, marketing restrictions on unhealthy products, workforce issues, substance use disorder/prescription medication abuse prevention, sick leave for private sector employees, parental leave for newborns/adoptions, betel nut and tobacco prevention, designated lactation space for employees, plastic bag ban, restriction on sales of tobacco and alcohol near schools, and school-based health centers.
“We need to reduce health problems and improve health outcomes. An integrated health system that already exists in CHCC is the best way to do it and while we have hardworking and dedicated staff committed to getting it done, we need your help,” Muna said.
She noted that it has been 12 years since Public Law 16-51 established the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, a public corporation that aims to “coordinate the delivery of quality healthcare to all commonwealth residents in a financially responsible manner.”
Muna said CHCC was supposed to be financially self-sufficient and independent of the Commonwealth government as much as possible.
“While that is also the goal of the CHCC board of trustees and the leadership of the CHCC, there are many issues that [need] to be addressed and should have been addressed when Public Law 16-51 directed a transition period of two years before its autonomy. That did not happen. Instead, the organization was given a $5 million seed money without a proper transition and no one took the ownership for its struggles and challenges,” she said.
“I bring this to your attention only to emphasize that our priorities have never changed since then. Operating the sole hospital and CNMI’s health system is not easy when you have [a] significant number of uninsured accompanied by health issues in the CNMI,” she added.
Muna said CHCC is trying to provide access to essential healthcare services to everyone while ensuring that the CNMI’s health system is strong enough to respond to any emergency.
“We stood up [to] Typhoons Soudelor, Mangkhut and Super Typhoon Yutu and we did this with no advanced funding to respond and despite that, we were one of the first ones to return to normal operations because while emergency responses still exist, delaying care to those that need it is dangerous,” she said.
The Covid-19 pandemic, unfortunately, “is like no other emergencies,” Muna said.
“Now we’re not only trying to get vaccines to individuals, we’re also screening for Covid-19 at our borders, providing mental health and other public health services, while still running a hospital,” she said as she took the opportunity to thank the governor for the administration’s partnership with CHCC.
She also thanked the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force, the Public Assistance Office, CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, TurnKey Solutions, IT&E, “and many others that helped ensure they implement evidence-based solutions to our response and to improve the delivery of quality health services.”
