27 Aug 2012

CNMI public hospital to operate at critical low

6:03 pm on 27 August 2012

The Commonwealth Health Centre in the Northern Marianas says it is impossible for the hospital to generate the 18 million dollars of revenue projected this fiscal year, which ends next month.

Officials believe it may produce less than half that amount.

The Health Centre says in order to generate 18 million dollars, the public hospital needs to achieve a monthly collection of 4.5 million, which is far beyond the actual monthly revenue of about 800-thousand dollars.

It says when factoring in 5 million dollars of seed money from the Legislature, the hospital will operate at a critical level, with $13 million for the new fiscal year, to cover its three clinics, over 400 personnel and vendors awaiting payments.

The Health Centre says the hospital will have to halve its personnel, which will lead to the hospital's closure for failing to meet the requirements of the federal government's Centre for Medicare and Medicaid Services.