Soon, the trial court will rule on the government’s debt to the Retirement Fund. The administration has already indicated that it is more than ready to file an appeal. Some retirees, for their part, have sued the Retirement Fund for its failure to release their benefits.
CUC, the poster boy of government mismanagement and incompetence, is under federal stipulated orders, and the price of noncompliance is federal receivership.
Over 20 police officers have sued DPS over pay raises and promotions. The administration itself has been sued for its refusal to disclose billing documents involving its federalization lawsuit, about which the D.C. court is expected to rule this summer. Several landowners are still waiting for their payments and are likely to take this bankrupt government to court.
In Garapan, businesses are complaining about the new rule that requires then to conduct, and pay for, monthly tests of their water wells.
At the islands’ only hospital, there are not enough doctors and local nurses are unhappy about the pay differences.
The list goes on.
There is, to be sure, no shortage of trouble in the CNMI, but there is an even bigger lack of ideas and, most importantly, political will to solve these problems.
Healthcare is at risk
PUBLIC health and hospital care are at great risk as a result of a stubborn resistance to change. There aren’t enough doctors or technical staff, and hospital administrators have failed to secure added funding for key personnel. It isn’t enough to know that Guam pays in excess of $275,000 for an anesthesiologist. Practically everyone on island knows that medical specialists command higher compensation. The failure is in not budgeting for it. Hospital administrators should be embarrassed by the number of times and number of years they are required, by force of habit, to repeat the same excuses over and over again.
As for the hospital’s technical staff, contract provisions include housing. Even if a law puts a cap on the number of years one qualifies for housing, not continuing the allowance or providing for an increase of salary to include the difference doesn’t make sense when the entire world is competing for qualified medical professionals. Doctors don’t operate radiation equipment or provide respiratory relief in the emergency room — highly trained professionals do that work.
It is easy, of course, for politicians to find safety in legalese but it doesn’t take care of a problem that keeps coming up. The hospital is already shorthanded and healthcare is at risk.
The same lack of planning and budgeting that hurts the hospital hurts almost every other critical division of government. Qualified employees do not get what their contract calls for, while others do. Promotions and salary adjustments aren’t based on merit.
Tough choices have to be made, and cutting telephone lines and paper orders will not fix the problem. Employees must be hired based on qualifications and they must be paid what they are worth and this is usually tied to education, experience and field of work.
With an election coming up voters must decide which candidate is most likely to deliver change. They must remember that these problems — and even the gubernatorial candidates themselves — are not new.
This calamity took years to make. There is no silver bullet. But change begins by making wise choices when casting your vote.
