The total amount the LBJ hospital has spent on air freight costs in the month of June alone, due to the recall of the NaturaLyte Liquid Bicarbonate Concentrate used in the Dialysis Clinic is $289,000, and they are currently trying to get reimbursed for this amount from Roberto's Healthcare Supplies, which supplied the concentrate.

Both shipments of recalled bicarbonate were provided by the same company, which includes the bicarbonate that was air freighted in to replace the ones that had been provided via surface container. The first recall was in June where the Dialysis Unit closed down for a couple of days and the second recall was earlier this month with the Unit closing down for just a day.

According to a Food and Drug Administration Enforcement report obtained by Samoa News, over 1.8 million bottles (1,856,619 bottles) were recalled in the latest Recall Notice.

Samoa News inquired how much the hospital spent on its emergency shipment to replace the first recall, and LBJ Hospital CEO Taufete’e Faumuina stated that $289,000 is what the hospital is seeking in reimbursement from Roberto’s Healthcare Supplies. He told Samoa News that there are some problems with trying to get repayment because the supplier is going after the manufacturer, Frensius Medical Care Rental Therapies Group.  However, Faumuina said, that is the supplier’s problem.

Samoa News reached out to Jorge Siu of Roberto's Healthcare supplies (RHS) for comment, and he stated that they are aware of the situation and are working with LBJ to pursue an equitable solution.

Dialysis Head Nurse, Olita Tafiti stated that the first recall of 1,000 cases of the Liquid Bicarbonate Concentrate were in a container with close to 40 cases already in the supply room. However with the latest recall they had on hand just 80 cases.

Asked as to a long term solution in the case of such recalls, Taufete’e said with the extension of the Dialysis Unit, due to the increasing numbers of patients, the hospital will now have its their own equipment to mix the Liquid Bicarbonate, and tubes are attached directly to each chair that the patients use for the dialysis treatment.

In an aside, he told Samoa News that with this extension there was no money budgeted for new dialysis chairs.  However, he asked, what is the use of the extension without the chairs? So the hospital has spent close to $300,000 on new dialysis chairs.