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Taufete’e comments on rollback of LBJ admin salaries

LBJ Medical Center Director of Human Resources, Komiti Emmsley and HR Assistant Director Dr. Akense Nikolao Mutini, have proposed to roll back their salaries — which were labeled as “ridiculous” by the Chief Executive Officer, Taufete’e Faumuina. The CEO says the proposal is now sitting on his desk.

 

Earlier this year, the hospital CEO stated that almost all the department directors make between $70,000 and $100,000+ per year, and he said that is something that will have to change at the hospital. As reported earlier, the CEO told Samoa News that Mrs. Emmsley was making $60,000 — however, she now makes $72,000, while Dr. Mutini now makes $65,000.

 

Last week in an interview with Samoa News the CEO confirmed that a proposal was given to the HR Director either to reduce their salaries, or their salaries will be reduced. “The HR Department had about 14 employees, but that has changed and it’s now down to six, and I’ve received their proposal to reduce their salaries,” said the CEO.

 

When Samoa News inquired about the reduction, the CEO declined to divulge information, however Samoa News understands that the reduction that Emmsley and Mutini asked for was $5,000 each.

 

What the CEO did say was that the salaries of the HR officials will have to be leveled with the Director’s salaries in accordance with ASG. Asked if the proposed rollback was sufficient, the CEO replied, “even with the proposed rollback, it’s still not level with the directors of departments such as ASG’s HR Director, who oversees thousands of employees.”

 

Asked if salaries of the HR officials fall under the scope of the hospital’s reclassification, the CEO stated that this is one of the issues that he’s encountered — the high salaries given under the hospital’s reclassification. “It’s much higher than ASG or other authorities,” said the CEO, who has yet to provide a copy of the salary reclassification to Samoa News.

 

Another rollback of salary that the CEO confirmed was for Dialysis Facility Administrator Amata Taifane. He told Samoa News that Taifane was hired under a $75,000 contract, however alterations were made to the contract, which has now been reduced, and she’s making $65,000.

 

Earlier this year the hiring of Taifane was labeled as “an unfair move” according to Taufete’e.

 

However, Taifane herself made it clear that she was handpicked. According to Taifane, she had applied for Ancillary and Clinical Support Services (ACSS) director, but she didn’t get it, and instead she was made deputy director for that division.

 

It was following the visit by the Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) that she was appointed to the Facility Administrator position, which was the result of corrective actions taken due to a citation from the CMS.

 

Taufete’e told Samoa News last week that they are heading in the right direction with the salary reduction as one of the first moves.

 

Last month the Senate Health Committee called for a hearing over longstanding issues at LBJ hospital, and Senate President Gaoteote Palaie voiced his disappointment that administrators and human resources officials were making more money than some of the physicians “who actually save lives.”

 

The Senate President said it appears that it’s very easy for the hospital to give a $100,000+ salary to an administrator, yet when a physician is asking for the same salary, it’s almost impossible for the physician to be hired.

 

Another Senator who raised concerns over the same issue was Senator Leatualevao Asifoa who noted that the majority of the problems occurring at the hospital involve money — and yes, he knows and believes that administrators or HR officials are making more than some of the physicians.