To help solve the shortage of attending physician in
government hospitals, the US Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Island (CNMI) is
planning to hire doctors from other countries particularly in the Philippines.
Governor Benigno Fital of CNMI said that he will
declare Department of Public Health under state of emergency to allow the
hiring of foreign doctors from outside the USmainland and Canada.
The CNMI will be hiring highly skilled doctors in
different field of expertise.
“We will
hire based on necessity," said Fitial, who flew to Manilatwo weeks ago.
Currently,
CHC is relying on a US-based headhunters firm for $25,000 per doctor hired from
the US and Canada to
recruit physicians. However, the number of physician hires is still short of
meeting the demands of the CNMI.
The CHC is one of the components of DPH, which also include the CommunityGuidanceCenterand the Division of Public Health. Most
of the foreign workers at the CHC are Filipinos.
Doctors
at DPH are hired only from the USmainland and Canadabased on the policy of the CNMI Medical Profession Licensing Board and due to
US Medicaid and Medicare requirements.
But the governor said the hiring outside the USand Canadawill be a “temporary fix" to the doctor shortage at the only hospital in
the CNMI.
Fitial said it is interesting to note that DPH can't hire specialists from the Philippines but it regularly sends CNMI patients
to Manila for
treatment and other medical care.
Because CNMI is tied with US, it would not be easy for them to hire foreign
workers because of the standards and requirements mandated by the US federal
government.
The
hospital is required to hire US-trained doctors since they are covered with
Medicare and Medicaid funding from the US government.
With the USfederal takeover of CNMI immigration set for Nov. 28, DPH said it has been
receiving inquiries from off-island doctors willing to work in the CNMI.
Foreign doctors may apply through the J1 visa waiver category which will allow
them to work in underserved areas in US with their families.
These potential physicians may come to the CNMI
through the J1 visa waiver category, which will allow them to work in
underserved areas in the USwith their families.
At present, foreign doctors who go to US medical schools and are trained in
US-accredited facilities have to go back to their countries and serve there for
a number of years.
