Policy Change Prompts Staff Shortages at Gallup Indian Medical Center
The introduction of a policy by the former Trump government emphasizing greater scrutiny of federal contract accreditations has induced labor shortages at a Native American medical facility in Gallup. This, in turn, forced considerable reductions in the provision of surgical services. The Gallup Indian Medical Center, managed by the Indian Health Service, a federal agency, has restricted general surgical procedures to only those patients in urgent need, while simultaneously halving the number of operational beds in its surgical units. Additionally, this staffing scarcity has resulted in limitations on delivery services at its Women’s Health Unit.
Faced with the medical center’s cutbacks, the residents of Gallup find themselves with no alternative but to seek birthing services in other cities. This unfortunate situation unfolded after the only other potential option, the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital, closed its maternity ward in 2022. This circumstance compels numerous patients to endure long journeys to distant hospitals to give birth.
The source of these changes traces back to an executive order President Donald Trump endorsed on Feb. 26. This directive is part of an agenda by the Department of Government Efficiency that called for additional oversight over contracts, especially those tied to contracted healthcare workers. The Indian Health Service and its many hospitals, which provide essential patient care, largely depend on such contracts for their operation.
The Gallup Indian Medical Center is one among several other facilities within the purview of the Navajo Area Indian Health Service. This network caters to the medical needs of nearly a quarter of a million individuals. The implemented policy triggered a logistical clog in the process of contract authorization at the Gallup Indian Medical Center as it necessitated the final seal of approval from a senior representative at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the parent organization of the Indian Health Service.
Following the implementation of this policy, the center had to confine its surgical functions to cater to patients who urgently reach the emergency unit. Furthermore, the medical center had to shrink its surgical unit capacity by half, from 40 beds down to 20. All the same, the center guarantees to evaluate and manage patients arriving with labor pains or those concerned about their maternal or fetal health, provided they are not suitable for secure transfers.
The hospital administrations at the Gallup have laid out plans to resume services and reopen beds as soon as the necessary staffing are approved to start. They assure to maintain their commitment towards their patients during these challenging times.
The basis of the health service provided by the Indian Health Service originates from the distinctive relationship that exists between the federal government and federally recognized tribes. This one-of-a-kind bond is explicitly drawn out in the U.S. Constitution, later reaffirmed through various treaties, legal enactments, and court rulings.