The Governor of the Northern Marianas, Benigno R. Fitial , says he wants to put the Department of Public Health under a state of emergency to allow the hiring of doctors from the Philippines and other countries.
He says the move is needed to help address the shortage of specialists at the government hospital.
Cardiologists and nephrologists will be among the specialists to be hired directly from foreign countries, instead of relying on a U.S.-based headhunters firm which charges US$25,000 per doctor hired from the U.S. and Canada.
He said at present, doctors at the Department of Health's Commonwealth Health Center are hired only from the U.S. mainland and Canada based on the policy of the CNMI Medical Profession Licensing Board.
