Today lawmakers traded their chambers for a classroom at the Guam Memorial Hospital. Senators say they wanted to see the problems up close – where doctors and nurses work daily to deliver critical care.  From overdue vendor bills to failing infrastructure, the oversight hearing dug into whether decades of emergency funding are actually making a difference. 

Packed into a small classroom on the hospital’s fourth floor, senators took their questions directly to the site of the problems. Senator Chris Duenas said, “I’m here to let you know – and every senator is here to tell you once and for all – you don’t have a finance problem. You have an execution problem.”  Duenas, the finance chair, underscoring the day’s central concern: accountability.

Committee on Health chair Senator Sabrina Salas Matanane said holding the oversight hearing at GMH allowed lawmakers to see firsthand the conditions staff face every day. She made clear that communication, and cutting through confusion, was the priority. The agenda included vendor payments, capital improvement projects like the electrical panel and HVAC system, information technology upgrades, medical supplies, cost-containment efforts, and safety protocols.

Duenas noted the timing was especially meaningful for retiring GMH administrator and CEO Lillian Posadas, giving her the chance to weigh in on these long-standing challenges. Senator Duenas shared, “I see a lot of signs out there that say ‘Support GMH’ and absolutely. We’re here to support GMH.”

He walked through the history of legislative support: $30 million in the 36th Guam Legislature, another $20 million in the 37th, and now, what he called a “historic” $57 million budget in the 38th. “That will be a total of over $100M for the GMH," he detailed.

But, Duenas stressed, money is only useful if it reaches the hospital and is used properly, adding, “We’re going to find out if that happened this morning. I have a feeling it didn’t. That’s because when the Governor first sent down the bill for the $40 million, she did not want the hospital administration to manage that money. She wanted the [the Department of Administration] to manage that money.”

Senators pressed hospital officials on the status of the $40 million appropriation approved earlier this month, with Senator Matanane saying, “What is the status of this $40 million appropriation?”

Retiring GMH administrator Posadas confirmed only a fraction had arrived, responding, “That is correct. We received $1.3 million last week Friday and that went to the pay out of the doctors’ pay. The doctors’ pay was $1.7 million, but we were able to get additional funding.”

Chief financial officer Yuka Hechanova outlined the rest of the payout schedule, detailing, “So what is immediately happening as we speak is DOA is processing the payments for the health insurance premiums ($8.3 million), withholding taxes ($4.2 million), and the amounts we owe for the Guam Power Authority ($1.8 million). So, approximately that is $14.3 million.”

Further disbursements are slated for September 30, October 15, and October 30, with money earmarked for vendors, it upgrades, and the electrical panel. But when asked if the full $40 million would reach GMH before the fiscal year ends, Hechanova was blunt, saying, "No, I did not. I’m being realistic.”

DOA director Ed Birn defended the staggered payout, saying, “The $1.3 million that we paid on Friday was an emergency request, which we got on Thursday and responded to in order that the physicians’ billings could be paid and they weren’t on the AP schedule that we received.

“I did inform the committee of the whole, as Ms. Hechanova said, that all the cash was not going to be available all at once. Please let me add that this is a very aggressive schedule for our cash payments.”  He said he remains committed because “the needs of the hospital are paramount.”

The focus then turned to infrastructure – specifically the hospital’s aging and dangerous electrical system. Senator Shawn Gumataotao said, “But I’m hoping after this discussion that we’re going to see a report back that there was at least more than just GPA in this fight. Everyone in this room is expecting all of you up front to deliver administratively on this. They’ve got jobs to do to save lives. We’re hoping that you’ll do your job to support them properly.”

Vice Speaker Tony Ada also pressed hospital administrators on the timeline, saying, “I mean, what are we looking at in terms of a timeline to get the electrical system repaired?”

Operations administrator Zaldy Tugade said it will cost $17 million to fully replace the system, but only $5 million is currently set aside. Ada asked, “My question is, if the electrical panel failed today, what is the alternative plan for that? If the electrical panel went out today, what would you do?" and Tugade replied, "Oh, I think the only uh perceivable alternative is to evacuate the hospital.”

Chief medical officer Dr. Ricardo Eusebio described the current fixes as nothing more than “putting out the fire,” warning that without a full replacement or a backup system, the hospital remains vulnerable to a total shutdown.

Other senators pushed on financial planning, uncompensated care, and infection surveillance. And new trustee Melanie Mendiola introduced draft resolutions aimed at stabilizing GMH's finances, including a medical supplies reserve account and a proposal to right-size administrative staff.

Senators left with commitments on paper, but also with sobering reminders of how fragile the hospital’s situation remains.

Between mounting vendor debts, outdated infrastructure, and the risk of evacuation if the electrical panel fails, the question is no longer just about how much money GMH receives—but whether the system in place can turn those dollars into lasting solutions for Guam’s only public hospital.