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Dialysis center running out of funds
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Posted on Feb 03 2006
The Fitial administration is pushing for the reprogramming of funds for the completion of the public health and hemodialysis center project on Saipan.
Acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez said during a news briefing yesterday that unless new funds are made available, there is no hope that the building will open as scheduled.
“The project continues to be underfunded. We’d be asking the Legislature for reprogramming of funds,” said Villagomez.
He said, though, that the construction is now 70 percent complete.
“We finally had a chance to tour the site. Surprisingly, it is now 70-percent complete,” said the acting governor.
The Babauta administration and the previous Legislature had already reprogrammed $5.8 million for the project in 2004.
The project was originally budgeted at $11 million but its contract, which was awarded to AIC Marianas, cost only over $5 million. This prompted lawmakers to re-appropriate the “excess” funds to other projects.
Public health officials, however, later realized that it would need additional funding for a water system and parking. The department also cited mistakes in the design, prompting officials to redesign it, costing more money.
Due to these lapses and the frequent request for change orders, investigations were initiated on the project.
Yesterday, Villagomez said the administration has asked the Department of the Interior to thoroughly review the project.
“It’s a terrible mistake but we’ve got to identify funds to complete it now,” he said.
The center, which began construction during the Babauta administration, is seen to solve overcrowding at the current dialysis center and reduce the number of patients that need to be sent off-island.
From 44 patients in 1996, the Commonwealth Health Center reportedly attends to nearly 100 dialysis patients now.
CHC has only 14 dialysis stations.
The new facility can accommodate up to 24 stations.
