U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. Wednesday that the United States wants to partner with Palau to build a new hospital.
As consultants described a plan to build a new $398.8 million hospital near the Palau airport, Landau asked questions about land ownership, technology, the condition of the current facility and the composition and training of hospital staff.
He said Whipps has talked about the need for a new hospital for as long as the two have known each other.
“We certainly want to partner with you and work toward that,” Landau said.
Representatives from Japan, Australia and India were also at the presentation, and Landau said the United States would work with them as well as other countries to make the new hospital a reality.
The current 80-bed hospital was built in 1994, and Whipps said it will need to be torn down once the new hospital is constructed.
The planners from Architects Hawaii Limited are looking at building the new facility on 168 acres, so the hospital can be expanded in the future. Solar cells will be placed over 200 parking stalls, with battery backups and generators with a seven-day fuel supply.
An atmospheric water generation plant will draw water from the humidity in the air, providing more than 2,500 gallons a day.
The consultants said the per-bed cost of the new 80-bed hospital is about average for a replacement hospital in the U.S. mainland, but low for a hospital in remote Pacific islands.
Landau asked about the nationalities of the doctors at the hospital and where they were trained. Palau Vice President Raynold Oilouch, who also served as the health minister, said that about half are from Palau, and half are from other countries.
Whipps said some of the doctors are trained in Cuba, and the U.S. diplomat quickly responded.
“I was going to say, don’t bring the Cuban doctors. I think we’re spending all of our time getting rid of those.”
“They are Palauans,” Whipps said. “They went to the school there because it was free for seven years.” He said that when Palauans attend medical school in the United States, they accrue huge student loan debt, and Palau is unable to pay them enough to return.
The consultants said the hospital feasibility study won’t be completed until March of next year.
The international representatives are in Palau for the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leadership Meeting being held this week in Koror.
