Referrers -Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Saipan
Following up on our earlier post about the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC) we thought we’d give you some more information about this great hospital, which is located in Garapan, on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Saipan is the largest of these islands and is a commonwealth of the USA. According to www.huffpost.com/life/travel “Saipan is the most beautiful place in America you’ve never heard of” – okay so now we’ve got your attention and you’ve added it to your holiday list, but you’ll have to get in the queue because as soon as the borders open and we’ve all been vaccinated, it’s in my travel plans. Just think of all the lucky medical staff who get to work there! And if you would like to join them, have a look at their recruiting website http://www.saipandoctors.com. They’re on Facebook as well: https://www.facebook.com/cnmichcc/
The hospital opened in 1986 and currently has 86 beds. There are 85 physicians and midlevel staff (nurse practitioner/midwife). The CHCC has specialties which include Internal Medicine, Paediatrics, Nephrology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, General Surgery, Anaesthesiology, Orthopaedics, Oncology and Radiology https://www.chcc.gov.mp/.
Due to the remote location of Saipan, it is very difficult or impossible to arrange specialty help for those patients who need care, which is not available locally, which is why the CHCC approached the Swinfen Charitable Trust (SCT) for help in 2019. Staff at the CHCC say that the SCT fulfills a critical need by filling the gap of patient care needs which are not locally available. This is where the simplicity of telemedicine steps into play, with the free medical lifeline offered by SCT and the consultants from all over the world who generously give their help for free. These consultants provide a critical backup for the skills of the CHCC Physicians in managing complex medical issues.
Cases that have been referred on to SCT by Physicians at the CHCC have included assisting with the care of a patient with a somewhat obscure liver ailment; treatment of dermatology problems that were not clearly obvious; assisting with the interpretation of cardiac pacemaker analysis; management of severe multifactorial cardiac disease; and other issues too many to mention.
We asked our contact at CHCC “How would you like people to help the Trust?” He replied that “Increasing our consultant base is important but contributing money to keep the trust alive is a more realistic request”.
Map courtesy of https://saipansnaps.com/pages/locations