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Health takes back seat as crisis lingers
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Posted on Dec 08 1998
The deepening economic crisis in the CNMI has driven more people into the already-burdened health care system, according to Department of Public Health Secretary Joseph K. Villagomez.
He said more people now turn to the Commonwealth Health Center than to the private clinics. Some have also dropped their health insurance policies to save on much-needed cash.
He added that some people even try to talk him into forgoing their medical bills, telling him that they are too poor to pay up.
“I’ve had people sit down here and will tell me that they cannot even afford $5 per month. And who am I to say, ‘I know you can.’ How can I go after a family who cannot pay? Why would you take them to court? That’s the reality,” Villagomez said.
“You got to realize that the other part of the equation is that this same economic crisis is affecting people’s home and they, in their own way, are trying to make austerity measures,” he added.
Villagomez reiterated his call on the affluent ones to continue their health insurance policies.
“I am not in a position to tell them what to prioritize. But I am encouraging people to continue putting their health care as a premium even in light of the economic crisis,” he said.
Apart from helping themselves, he said, people with health insurance also help the government on costs and use of the lone hospital.
Statistics showed the Commonwealth Health Center currently provides services to about 10,000 patients every month.
