Klitzkie leading discussions
on bill to aide pharmacist recruiting
by Andi Atteberry, KUAM News
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Bill 122 is up for public hearing this week at the Guam Legislature.
If signed into law, it may help both the Guam Memorial Hospital and the
Department of Public Health recruit and retain pharmacists by increasing
pay by 100%. The current shortage has reached a crisis point in the recent
months.
Chairman of the Legislative Committee on Calendar, Senator Bob Klitzkie
(R) is holding the hearing on Bill 122. "I have asked [Civil Service
Commission executive director] Vern Perez to come down to give us a little
history on the matter of pharmacist salaries and I won't be surprised
if some people from the Department of Public Health and Social Services
showed up to testify they are vitally interested in the bill," the
second-term lawmaker told KUAM News.
Bill 122 states that because the current pay schedule is non-competitive
and unattractive, it is the intent of the legislation to adjust the unified
pay schedule in full. The competitive national average salary for experienced
pharmacists is $41/hour. The bill would also authorize the Guam Memorial
Hospital to pay overtime to pharmacists who work more than 40 hours per
week.
The public hearing on Bill 122 begins May 2 at 9am in the Legislature's
Hearing Room in Hagatna.
Copyright © 2000-2005 by Pacific Telestations, Inc.
|
