16 Apr 2012

American Samoa's hospital set to re-introduce fee increases

3:08 pm on 16 April 2012

An increase in hospital charges and fees is on the horizon in American Samoa.

Last week the Hospital Authority Board submitted a draft schedule of fee increases to the Governor Togiola Tulafono.

Board chair, Moananu Va, says the increases will be subject to public hearings as required by law.

He would not say whether the proposed fee increases are the same ones that the hospital enforced for four days in February, then suspended after it received funding through a loan from the Workmans' Compensation Fund.

Mr Va says the hospital needs to raise fees now that there's no new money coming in after the rejection of the bills intended to help the hospital.