A week after the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. board gave its chief executive officer a vote of no-confidence, Esther L. Muna finally broke her silence, saying her actions are all in accordance with the public law that created the corporation, which defines her role as head of the agency.<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a got the no-confidence vote from four board members during last week\u2019s meeting. A day after, a group of senior medical staffers led by Medical Affairs director Dr. Sherleen Osman rallied behind Mu\u00f1a and issued a joint statement expressing confidence in Muna\u2019s leadership, saying CHC \u201chas evolved and come a long way from where it was 18 months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am humbled by the support of the medical staff and others within and outside the organization. It is their opinion\u2014the opinion of the patients and their families, the community, the medical staff and the rest of the CHCC staff\u2014that matters to me most,\u201d Mu\u00f1a told Saipan Tribune.<\/p>\n
Gov. Eloy S. Inos said he would meet with the CHCC board and Mu\u00f1a after learning from reports that the CHC board and Mu\u00f1a \u201care not on the same page on many of the issues so I might call for a meeting\u201d and \u201cfind out what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m satisfied with what she\u2019s doing. I guess if you don\u2019t have her, who do you have right now?\u201d the governor said Friday. \u201cAnything that we do should be in the best interest of the citizens which is to make sure that the healthcare needs of the people are taken care of.\u201d <\/p>\n
The governor pointed out, however, that he has yet to know all the details; that\u2019s why he might need to call both parties either to be a mediator or \u201cslam the hammer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a governor, I\u2019m going to have to do something,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
According to Mu\u00f1a, the board of trustees\u2019 role as an advisory board is very clear in the law and it should be adhered to.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe advisory board knows that their role is not to govern and manage the day-to-day operations of CHCC. If I don\u2019t call for meetings to get their advice or yield to them so they can manage our operations, I had hoped that they would understand that I\u2019m simply following the law,\u201d Mu\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n
It will be recalled that Mu\u00f1a did not participate in the two-day board meeting last week where she was also accused by board members of continuing to ignore their requests for documents and records.<\/p>\n
Muna pointed out, though, that \u201cI have walked the halls of the hospital to see how our patients are doing and how busy our physicians and staff are and how difficult it is to work with the little we have. My role is to help them and that is what keeps me up at night. I know the struggles of our patients and our staff because I\u2019m there. That is why I studied and work in health administration.\u201d<\/p>\n
What she would like to see, Mu\u00f1a said, is the board\u2019s full support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a wonderful combination it is to have an advisory board, comprised of individuals with business experience to provide financial investment ideas and work with the CEO in bringing the best healthcare to our people who deserve it so much. If they focus on that and I focus on what I need to do, that is achievable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The CHCC board earlier said the no-confidence vote was issued as a warning for Mu\u00f1a to start working with them in order to achieve the unified mission of bringing quality healthcare to the public. Trustees accused her of not cooperating with the board.<\/p>\n
Being an advisory board, its no-confidence vote against Mu\u00f1a has no legal force and effect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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