Senators who toured Guam Memorial Hospital on Monday had praise for improvements of the facility since the previous tour in September, but they also had questions about future operations.
During an oversight hearing Monday afternoon, Legislative Vice Speaker Tony Ada asked the panel of hospital managers why senators are seeing progress now.
Medical director Dr. Ricardo Eusebio had an answer for him.
“The difference is that this is the first time we've ever had clinicians really have the opportunity to run the hospital. In all the years I've been (here) it's always been an administrator, somebody who has been, you know, in government service or whatever," Eusebipo said. "It's never been two doctors running it.”
Still, challenges remain.
Interim CEO Dr. Joleen Aguon said the hospital needs to upgrade its technology and deal with the consequences of mistakes made in the past.
“Because GMH has historically not paid its vendors, we have lost all the big companies. We have lost credibility with many others, so we have to go to smaller vendors and pay premium prices and pay large sums of money for shipping," she said.
Senators also asked about the islandwide liquid oxygen shortage that led to a suspension of elective surgeries last month.
Personnel Services Administrator Jesse John Quenga said the hospital has asked for $2 million from the federal government to build a cryogenic oxygenator plant to avoid similar problems in the future.
The hospital would be able to generate oxygen and sell excess to other medical providers on the island.
