Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

American Samoa to ensure licensing of all doctors

Posted at 22:31 on 02 January, 2008 UTC

American Samoa’s Governor says doctors employed at LBJ Hospital must fulfill the requirements of the law and pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

Togiola Tulafono said on his weekly radio programme that doctors, like all medical practitioners including nurses as well as lawyers and engineers, need to be licensed.

The Hospital Authority Board has set June 2008 as the deadline for all doctors who are not US certified to sit and pass the USMLE in order to keep their jobs.

The decision affects about 30 doctors who graduated from the Fiji School of Medicine.

The governor said the issue of licensing of medicial personnel should not used as a political tool.

Recently the Senate President suggested to the board which licenses doctors to change the law to exempt graduates of the Fiji School of Medicine now employed at LBJ from the USMLE requirement.

The chairman of the licensing board has supported the Senate President’s suggestion.