Two Guam Legislature committees will hold a joint oversight hearing at Guam Memorial Hospital on Sept. 25 to address the facility’s most urgent needs, according to a media release. The hearing comes as Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero considers action on Bill No. 1 (3-S), which would appropriate $40 million to GMH.
The Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs, chaired by Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane, and the Committee on Finance and Government Operations, chaired by Sen. Chris Duenas, plan to review vendor payments, capital improvement projects, IT upgrades, medical supplies and equipment, cost containment measures and safety protocols at the island’s only public hospital.
Matanane said her bills, including Bills 186 and 187, would direct another $40 million to GMH for infrastructure and equipment upgrades. “While I absolutely support building a new hospital, we cannot ignore the one we have today,” she said. “GMH is our only public hospital, and it needs help now.”
Duenas said holding the hearing at GMH will give lawmakers firsthand insight into staff conditions. “It’s not just numbers on paper—it’s real people working under real pressure,” he said. The hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the GMH Education Classroom on the fourth floor.