Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The budget predicament faced by the Emergency Medical Services has been addressed by the Governor’s office and will be resolved as soon as the bill recently passed by the Fono is signed into law..

 “EMS technicians are no longer paying for fuel out of their pockets and ambulance vehicles are now getting their fuel from the government’s fuel pump in Tafuna [beginning] two weeks ago.

 “Also the EMS technicians will be reimbursed for their money used to fill up the EMS ambulance vehicles,” said Director of Search and Rescue, Fa’amasino Upuese Galoia during an interview with Samoa News.

Regarding medical supplies for the EMS, the director said they are “working on it”.

Last month EMS Chief, Galumalemana Popo Avegalio confirmed the EMS operation was in limbo, with the lack of necessary “supplies” that have not been replenished for over four months.

He confirmed with Samoa News comments by the director that the out-of-pocket fuel costs have been reimbursed to EMS employees, but he said their medical supplies have not been replenished now for six months.  

Galumalemana said a budget for supplies is critical to their operation.

“We are rationing now our supplies and its evident from the Fono leaders that our budget had since been transferred back to the LBJ hospital and we are still waiting,” the EMS Chief said last month.

According to Fa’amasino, the Search and Rescue under which the EMS falls has just been established as a department.

 “The fono recently approved the establishment of this new department and the legislation is sitting on the governor’s desk waiting for his final approval. Once that bill is signed into law, we will work on transferring the funding from the LBJ hospital for the EMS services,” explained Fa’amasino.

Put to the director that in recent hearings the LBJ Chief Executive Officer, Moefaauo Bill Emmsley said there is no funding for the EMS operation in their budget.

According to Moefaauo, when the EMS was transferred to the Search and Rescue via the Governor’s Executive order, the transfer was only personnel and assets, not funding.

 “The hospital does not operate on a paper budget, we operate on real money. Let me elaborate on that, when we submit a budget it’s just for the [lawmakers] to review what we’re going to spend it on and why as required by law. But in reality it’s what’s in the bank that matters.

 “This is what I mean about paper money (referring to the budget) and what matters to us is the real money that is in the bank that we can write checks on. The budget is more of a guidance for us, but the real money is in the bank,” he said.

Asked whether the budget proposed by the hospital to the fono for the current fiscal year matches the funding the hospital has in the bank, Moefaauo said no.

 “What we have in the bank consists of grants and revenues, so that is how we operate and what’s in the budget does not fund the hospital. It is just a guide for the hospital on how to use the funding.”

But Fa’amasino told Samoa News yesterday that EMS funding of $1 million will be transferred to LBJ.

 “In Government there are ways to transfer funding and it’s what the government does and once the law is signed by the governor that transfer takes place,” he said.

The director also confirmed that the hospital bills Medicaid for people being transported on the ambulances.

 “And that funding belongs to EMS, so it should be directed to the head of the EMS,” said the director.