A PARALYZED little girl, Dora, struggles for survival in Saipan’s beleaguered hospital. She cannot breathe on her own, she cannot walk, and her doctors have been unable to find a cure. While her frightened mother weeps, U.S. federal health officials come and declare that the hospital’s situation has caused, or is likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to patients.

No money for medical equipment, no money for supplies, the Saipan hospital ran out of food for the sick little Chamorro girl. The parents of a baby who recently died from a heart problem come and deliver PediaSure liquid nourishment to Dora’s ICU bed.

“I was in awe of this couple and choked back my own emotion,” a witnessing doctor said. “Their ability to give back so soon after they had experienced the greatest loss a parent could experience was an act of stunning and absolute grace that is rare in life.”

In a truly great story, Marianas Variety reporter Tammy Doty captured the ongoing human drama of Saipan’s failing hospital. Doty writes that the sight of Dora, paralyzed with a ventilator attached to a hole in her throat, is sobering and, for a parent, almost unbearable.

In her news article published Sept. 12, 2012, Doty wrote, "Dora once asked her mother, 'Why are people crying when they visit me?'"

“This question encapsulates the courage of an intelligent, young child who was dancing just five short months ago and has enjoyed a parade of visitors in the last few days,” Doty observed.

The cruel mystery started earlier this year when Dora began complaining of leg pains that increasingly kept her from attending school. In May, Dora began to experience numbness and weakness in place of the leg pain and her mother sought help at Saipan’s only hospital. Because of broken, unmaintained medical equipment and inadequate laboratory supplies, the hospital did not have the ability to perform the necessary diagnostic testing.

Saipan may be geographically located about 136 miles away from Guam, but its politics are as close as a punch in the face. For too long, island governors and hospital administrators have been all too willing to hire unnecessary government employees and ignore basic government responsibilities to public health, safety, and education.

Let me guess, Mr. Saipan political official: You paid your bloated payroll, didn’t pay medical vendors, didn’t keep current on critical contract obligations, and sacrificed patient care because you didn’t want to lay off any government workers. I’m sure one of your fancy off-island consultants told you it might be political suicide.

So you were willing to commit political manslaughter, sacrifice the health of a poor little girl, kill a couple of babies, and ignore the mounting evidence of dangerous conditions at your island’s only public hospital. Well, King Herod, I’m sure they didn’t teach you that kind of religion at Mt. Carmel elementary school in Chalan Kanoa. I wouldn’t be expecting any Christmas presents this year if I were you.

If the dead Italian poet Dante was correct, then the politician who puts payroll politics before patient care will likely burn for eternity in hell. It is not for me to judge, but I sincerely hope he was correct.

If our hardworking, honest local politicians are blameless, then they should not be offended by the righteous outrage generated by dying children and failing hospitals.
As Dora’s story circulates worldwide, even to the ears of President Obama, the stupidity of certain local politicians ignoring the reality of limited resources and definite responsibility will not be defended.

For those unable to visit Dora in person, you can offer encouragement and donations.