Governor, you had a billion dollars to fix GMH and you failed Guam

By Christopher Duenas

Today, Kandit News Group posted a news article in regards to the joint press release sent out by the Republican Caucus which urged the governor to take immediate action, and declare a state of emergency at the Guam Memorial Hospital. In this article was a response to the release from the Governor’s director of communications, Krystal Paco-San Agustin, which stated, “Six of the seven republicans in today’s legislature are veteran politicians who have served in that role years before—some going back to the ’90s and early 2000s, yet not once did they call for a state of emergency when the Calvo administration lost GMH accreditation or the Camacho administration couldn’t afford epidurals.”

It is so sad that this administration continues to use the same tired excuses of shortcomings of prior administrations when they have an unprecedented multi billion dollars of revenues during THEIR administration! They have had all the money needed to support and strengthen our public hospital until we can get to a point of agreeing to a new hospital location and design!

Both the 36th and 37th Guam Legislature has appropriated substantial funds that were beyond the administration’s initial requests, aiming to address the urgent repairs and purchase the essential medical supplies for GMH. However, it seems that this administration is deliberately steering GMH into a dire situation to prove a point, following the failure of their plans to construct a new hospital.

At the end of the day, this blame game makes everyone lose because it fosters a toxic environment of finger pointing and defensiveness, lacks productive communication and problem solving, and ultimately prevents any progress or resolution of issues. Knock it off!

GMH has been struggling with its condition for an extended period. This issue is not merely about the state of the hospital; it also directly impacts the state of our healthcare workers and the efficiency to provide quality care.

What is particularly disheartening is that the burden ultimately falls on those who are not part of the elite and who do not have access to alternative healthcare options. I urge the administration to think about this: Would they feel comfortable and confident receiving care at GMH with the current dilapidated structure and limited resources? While we can all agree that a new hospital is needed, the pressing issue is how to utilize the existing funds to address the immediate healthcare needs of our community right now.

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By Christopher Duenas is a member of the Guam Legislature and a resident of Sinajana.