Ads by Google Ads by Google

Low salary blamed for the poor response to veterinarian ad

a kitten provided with free sterilization surgery by the Department of Agriculture Veterinary Clinic last month.
blue@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A "possible" candidate for the veterinarian position at the Dept. of Agriculture has been identified; and once everything is squared away, an announcement will be made.

This is according to DOA director Filifaatali Mike Fuiava, responding to Samoa News inquiries yesterday morning.

Veterinarian Kristen Jensen's contract ended earlier this month and she will be departing the territory next Monday, Jan. 28.

Filifaatali said a contract renewal could not be negotiated as Jensen has family matters in the US that need her attention. He said DOA received applications from two interested individuals — one from Malaysia and another from Samoa.

According to Filifaatali, the low annual salary of $50,000 is a hindrance in attracting qualified vets to work in American Samoa. "The pay we are offering is just too low," he said, adding that there are staff members who have had ample on-the-job training and can perform surgeries as well as carry out some of the services requested by pet owners.

The DOA director said the applicant from Samoa is a doctor, but he is not US certified, meaning he cannot order prescription drugs for cats and dogs from the US mainland. However, he added, there is an agreement between DOA and LBJ, in that the Medical Center will order the prescription drugs and DOA can pick it up from them.

Otherwise, he continued, the vet from Samoa can order meds from New Zealand and Australia, as he is certified to do so.

Samoa News recently spoke to an attorney — from the US — who is here on contract with the government. According to him, he cannot decide whether to fly his dog to the territory until there is confirmation that veterinarian services will be available.