The Department of Public Health disclosed that the opening of the hospital's Hemodialysis Center is being delayed due to the lack of a Medicare certification.
Saipan Tribune learned that Medicare will not certify the building without it having a medical director, administrator, masters-prepared social worker and a renal dietitian. The facility will not also be opened unless issues related to its flawed design and its water treatment system are resolved.
In an earlier report to the Legislature, the department said the physical structure of the building meets federal requirements but a certain part of the unit is being worked on to meet standards, such as the water treatment system.
At present, the building has two dialysis machines that were installed about two months ago. The department is waiting for 29 more to complete the target of 31 new machines for operation.
Once these machines arrive, the hospital's biomedical department will validate the units before these are accepted for operation. The department said all these machines must comply with all federal requirements too.
Once the Hemodialysis Center opens, an estimated 27 patients can be treated all at the same time in one shift.
As of October, a total of 102 patients are being dialyzed at the Commonwealth Health Center by a private clinic, St. Jude Renal Care, Saipan Tribune learned. Of this number, 91 are from Saipan; four are from Tinian; and seven are from Rota.
The existing dialysis center at the hospital has 25 dialysis machines that are more than 9 years old.
Besides the lack of needed machines and officials to run the Hemodialysis Center, the department also admitted that there is no sufficient staff to operate the existing dialysis units.
At present, the dialysis unit has 11 registered nurses, four licensed practical nurses; one nurse assistant; and 12 patient care technicians.
The Hemodialysis Center project was initiated during the Babauta administration. However, due to funding issues, this was not completed on time. Serious problems with the project were also discovered, including a flawed design that bloated the original cost of the project.
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