17 May 2011

CNMI Health facility manages to operate despite doctor shortage

8:58 pm on 17 May 2011

The Commonwealth Health Center in the Northern Marianas is confident it has enough doctors to sustain operations, despite losing another three staff in the past two months.

Public health's acting deputy chief for hospital administration, Esther Muna, says the 24 doctors that the Center employs include full and part timers.

She says they are trying to recruit additional physicians, but necessary services are being provided.

One priority area is the need for more pediatricians for the children's clinic to fully function.

At the moment the Centre has just two pediatricians, which Ms Muna says is just enough for the hospital's inpatient and emergency on-call service.