The director for the Regional Hospital Dr. Antonio Musa, located in San Pedro de Macoris, has been suspended in his functions, along with hospital administrator Nelson Garcia. Dr Ulises Mazara told reporters from El Caribe yesterday that he was forced to close down operating rooms and nighttime out-patient services because of the continual blackouts and lack of fuel for the hospital?s emergency generator. Today?s El Caribe reports that the regional director for the Ministry of Public Health, Jose Elias Zaiter, was instructed by the public health minister ?to do whatever is necessary to better health services? in San Pedro found little cooperation form the hospital?s director and removed him from his post. Surgeries were rescheduled and the lapsed out-patient services re-established. Zaiter said that it was a ?lack of managerial skills? that led to the sorry state of the hospital. El Caribe reports that the facility experiences 14-hour blackouts and only has a small emergency generator that is insufficient for its needs. The paper says that the weekly fuel bill is around RD$20,000. In the face of this crisis, Zaiter handed over the care of the surgical area to those sponsors currently taking care of the diagnostic division. Zaiter did not dismiss the possibility of militarizing the hospital in order to re-establish the necessary services.