THE LBJ HOSPITAL ISSUE

 

It is very important that the LBJ Tropical Medical Center be brought into line with the US health care system. There should be a full implementation of US certified and licensed professional health care workers, not only doctors, but pharmacists, nurses, aides, technicians or any other person making or executing medical decisions. These members of the medical team should be trained, certified, and continually educated and re-certified to the same standard and quality level as those employed in stateside medical facilities. They should be compensated in a manner competitive with US employment standards for their profession, and respected as a valuable resource to our population.

 

Common Cause believes that the health and quality of life of LBJ patients and outpatients come first, and that the medical personnel and support staff should provide the best care possible. It is also our opinion that any profits generated by being US certified and qualified to participate in US insurance programs, be given to resources that directly benefit patient care, and not to executive or management incentives that are not relevant to direct patient care.

 

Common Cause understands the history of this medical facility, and its on-going problems with funding. However funding was and is not the main issue. More funding has never fixed our hospital, and the securing of more funding through US certifications or other means, will not by itself do so either. The issue has been where the funding has been directed, and that is still the case. Simply getting more money will not solve our problem because without significant changes, the money will go where it always has; to many places that do not directly support or help patients. Examples of this include salaries of ill qualified or incompetent employees, travel expenses and Per Diem for inappropriate personnel, excessive salaries and bonuses for administrators, and other unnecessary and costly expenditures.

 

We have seen countless examples of misfortune directly or indirectly related to the mismanagement and misappropriation of hospital resources. Many people have died due to lack of competence, while at the same time administrators were enjoying themselves with pay raises. Two years ago we suffered through a medicine shortage so bad that even such staples as insulin were out of stock after a period of rationing. Diabetics were left to fend for themselves, as were many others dependent on prescriptions for not only illness, but for life itself! This was a clear indication of exactly where priorities were within the hospital, and they were not where they should have been for many years.

 

Now we have a most ambitious challenge in fixing this hospital. Our people don’t deserve second rate or third world medicine, and those think we do need to not be around our hospital, much less work there. Our government needs to understand its responsibility to its people and to God in providing reliable, proper, and high quality health care. This starts with employing administrators and a management that understands medical priorities and proper resource allocation. It starts by employing doctors and other health care professionals that not only have the skills and knowledge to pass US certification and licensing tests, but the inward desire to continue and go beyond those standards.

 

Health care is not a static science, but a constantly evolving expression of both talent and knowledge. The title of “M.D.” is not something inherited or freely given, it must be earned through a lot of study and commitment, both personal and financial. Our health care workers need our respect, and they need to respect us. This can only happen within structures such as a hospital where they are given the incentive to truly express their talent. They must be well paid for their investment, have valid say in the operations of our facilities, and not be treated simply as contracts to be cycled through the system.

 

Those medical professionals that oppose the US certification need to be reminded that this is a US territory. It follows US standards in many ways, and is granted entitlement to many things from the US because of it. Sadly it has until possibly now, not held to such high standards in medicine. US certification should not be a hindrance to anyone wishing to enhance or improve his or her medical knowledge. The US certification should not be thought of as an insult to your achievements outside it, but as an opportunity to work within it.

 

Finally, Common Cause understands that the people of American Samoa cannot directly pay the cost of US certified medical care, and should not be expected to. We believe that federal subsidies should offset medical costs for as long as proof that a US standard of health care is being provided. Such arrangements are in line with the deed of cession. There must be programs we can bring on-line that can subsidize a properly run and administered hospital employing properly certified personnel, but the key word here is “properly.” We have failed miserably in the past, let’s not make the past our future!