On Saipan, a circumcision costs almost $8,000

The Commonwealth Health Center’s charging of $7,901.82 for a circumcision is outrageous! And this amount is just an estimate; the actual billing could be more than that. Read the story in today’s Saipan Tribune.

The procedure lasted for only one hour and 9 minutes. In July last year, the mother of the patient was told by a CHC employee that the circumcision would cost no more than $300, but the patient waited out until this month to undergo the procedure.

CHC’s reason is that hospital charges have gone up since Dec. 1, 2007 and that they put out notices in the media letting people know of their new charges.

Given that it is impossible for everyone to know about these rate hikes, CHC should at least provide patients and their families a cost estimate for a hospital procedure PRIOR to the procedure so that they could make better and informed decisions.

Almost $8,000 for a circumcision is so unbelievable! In other countries, it would even cost a lot less than CHC’s previous rate of about $250 for a circumcision for the same result!

CHC - a No In-Patient Pharmacy Zone

Yes. This is the case now. Sources told me that the in-patient pharmacy at the Commonwealth Health Center has been closed by the Department of Public Health. Its loyal and dedicated head pharmacist has transferred to a private pharmacy as a retail pharmacist. I was also told that this director has not been renewed and still has some money owed to him by the department.

Can a local hospital operate without in-patient pharmacy? I was also told that a certain hospital should have an in-patient pharmacy if the facility has over 100 beds for example. Now I don't know about the CNMI's case here. I heard that the hospital tried to outsource the pharmacy services to the private pharmacy here but the company asked for a fee that's impossible for the hospital to afford. The fee was just a move to tell the hospital to renew the contract of its pharmacists.

I also heard from inside sources that the Public Health is going to privatize the in-patient pharmacy, that's why....

The Reveler

RN = Rejected Nurses

I met a former colleague when I swung by McDonald's yesterday for a quick snack with a friend. This former colleague opted to take Nursing courses at NMC almost three years ago because it was then proposed by the Public Health that all Nursing graduates from NMC would be absorbed automatically to the hospital since there have been a shortage of local nurses in the CNMI. The CNMI hospital has hired foreign nurses mostly from the Philippines for a long time now.

My friend passed the NCLEX last month and she's now a registered nurse practitioner. She was so excited to get into the hospital, however, was disappointed that the Personnel Management Office has frozen government hiring until appropriate budget is allotted to the Health Department.

She said she was assured that as soon as there are budget for additional nurses, her file would be retrieved from the active files.

The Reveler

The Buzz: Rx XtraZzzz

In addition to our discussion on the CNMI Public Health hanging on threads with its internal doctors and other medical professionals leaving the islands, reliable sources are advising the community especially those that are under medications to request from their physicians prescriptions of their medicine that would last them at least for six months. These sources are even telling them to get a year of prescribed medicines to secure themselves their required medication for their ailment.

Reason? Your doctors might just take a hike and board the plane off to somewhere else.

The Buzz: Don't Drink and Drive. No. Seriously.

It's becoming more of a cliche on the island when the local police department has been actively campaigning for a "Don't Drink and Drive" in the CNMI.

Yes. You should take this seriously now.
Why? Because, the buzz around town is that physicians at the Commonwealth Health Center have been telling people that they should avoid driving when they are intoxicated from now on.
Again, why? Because there are no doctors left on the island to treat victims of road mishaps or tragic accidents.

T'all boils down to lacking of staff due to several reasons that concerned healthcare professional "John Livingston" wrote and sent to the papers recently, entitled "What ails our CHC?"
So, the doctors say if you can prevent and at least not to drink way too much, that'd be good for you. If you're too drunk, let somebody drive for you.

The Reveler

CNMI's ER Horror Stories 1

*WARNING TOO SENSITIVE POST. DON'T READ IF YOU THINK THIS WILL GROSS YOU OUT*

Have you heard of any horror stories around the island as discovered at the Commonwealth Health Center's E.R.? Well, I have. Sources said the hospital has received several cases that shocked the wits out of them.

#1 - a couple came to the E.R., boyfriend was in bad shape. He was so embarrassed he couldn't sit down. He was holding his pants up. Doctor found out there was a whole orange stuck up his ass.

#2 - a woman with boyfriend came to E.R. in pain. A can of beer was in her (bleep bleep)

#3 - a woman came with boyfriend told doctors that she and her beau wanted to be adventurous in sex. They went to the beach, boyfriend got a sea cucumber and inserted it to her girl friend's (bleep bleep). The boyfriend thought he could easily remove the sea cucumber, but the couple didn't know that as defense mechanism of sea cucumbers, they expand when they are vexed. So, the couple went to the hospital with sea cucumber inside her.

Believe it or not. We didn't know either.

The Reveler

*I TOLD YOU NOT TO READ FURTHER IF YOU EASILY GET GROSSED OUT"