Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Senate Health Committee Chairman Senator Tuiasina Dr. Salamo Laumoli yesterday violated Senate House Rules when he mentioned Senator Satele Aliitai Lili’o’s name in his request that the high number of deaths at LBJ Hospital, not only among adults but also young people, not be included in discussion during the hearing slated for this morning.

Satele had expressed his concern about the matter on Monday saying that some of those who died had been admitted in the hospital and passed away after they were released.

The Vaifanua senator said he doesn’t know if the hospital investigates the cause of deaths but it’s something that the Senate should look into.

In yesterday’s regular session, Senator Tuiasina addressed Senator Satele by name and asked that the matter not be discussed, but the LBJ officials subpoenaed for today’s hearing will provide the data on the number of deaths recorded at the hospital starting from 2021, which he can then scrutinize.

Tuiasina who is a medical doctor by profession contended that it paints a negative picture of the Territory’s only public medical center, making it look like a house of death, and to have it included in the agenda of today’s hearing makes it look like it’s true when it is not.

He pointed out that the matter was an ethical or moral issue that is very sensitive because it reflects badly on the government which funds the hospital’s operations and also the sons and daughters of American Samoa working and serving the public at LBJ.

The Tualatai senator reasoned that in every hospital, there will be deaths and there will also be patients who are healed and be able to return to their homes with a clean bill of health.

He said there are many, if not more, patients healed of whatever health problems they entered the hospital with after treatment, but that fact is never publicized.

This did not sit well with Senator Togiola T.A. Tulafono who declared a point of order and moved that the Senate president and Senate Rules Committee chairman should remind and advise the Health Committee chairman about the Senate Rules.

Togiola pointed out that Senate Rules stipulate that during any verbal exchange between senators about a particular subject involved in Senate consideration or scrutiny, senators speaking on the matter should not refer to another senator using his or her name.

Instead, he clarified that the senator the speaker is referring to, should be called "the senator from the whichever district he or she represents."

Togiola said this first point of order must be emphasized because it is disrespectful to the "Va Tapuia" which translates to "space made sacred" referring to the mutual respect between senators who each carry the traditional dignity and honor of their respective districts, as representatives in the Senate.

The second point of order was Tuiasina's attempt to instruct or direct the issues Satele should speak on during deliberations in the Senate.

Togiola stressed that each senator has the freedom to speak without fear on whatever issue is under deliberation in his capacity as a representative of his district, so his articulations reflect the collective point of view of his constituents.

"If a senator disagrees with an issue under discussion, he speaks as a representative of his district with the freedom that is protected under our constitution," Togiola argued. "We should be mindful that we follow the protocols that guide our actions as representatives of our districts because the public is listening, watching, and judging us."

Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean agreed with Togiola and said that he was going to comment on the issue at the end of the session.

"I remind all members that no senator has the right to instruct another senator," Tuaolo stated. "Every senator has the right to speak freely. Let this not happen again."

Senator Satele thanked Togiola for reminding senators of the rules and regulations that guide them in performing their duties with their relationships with fellow senators.

He explained the reason why he raised the issue saying that the data he requested was public information and that it was a matter of concern to many members of the public. He clarified that he was not questioning the skills of the employees of LBJ Hospital.

Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee Senator Magalei Logovii also spoke on the issue and explained that senators appointed to chair the various Senate committees are not obliged to defend the departments under their portfolios.

Magalei said that when senators request information on whatever issue concerning any government department, the committee chairman does not stand on the department's side and defend it because of whatever reason he champions.

He stressed that requests are put forward so that the Senate can carry out its mandated responsibility by discussing the issue to improve the government's service to the public.

The senator said he was going to discuss this with Tuiasina after the session but the issue had been brought to the fore by Senator Togiola, and he hoped that senators understood the importance of following protocol to ensure the dignity of the Senate and their calling.

Today's hearing was initially called by the Health Committee Chairman Tuiasina Laumoli on Monday, to discuss the recent incident where an LBJ Hospital security guard was arrested when a box she picked up at the Post Office in Fagatogo was found to contain nearly 40 pounds of crystal methamphetamine.

Tuiasina said that this was becoming a real problem.

Tuaolo advised the committee chairman that he should also thoroughly question the hospital budget.

According to Tuaolo, the LBJ budget includes five pharmacists. The salary of the head pharmacist is $179,000 and the pharmacists are budgeted at $150,000. He said from his research with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, pharmacists are paid $110,000 to $120,000.

The Senate president said that we are a small island but the pharmacist is paid more than the doctors.

He said these are the issues that the Committee Chairman should question during the review of the hospital’s budget.

According to the budget document that the Governor sent the Fono the LBJ Hospital’s budget for Fiscal Year 2025 totals $85.6 million. However, the proposed budget that the hospital recently submitted amounts to $130.9 million.

These issues will be discussed in the Senate Health Committee hearing scheduled for 8:30am today.