Add to the litany of Guam’s crumbling social services: Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA), Guam’s only civilian hospital, is running $1 million into debt every month. The new director at the hospital is spouting dire warnings about ‘complete financial collapse’ and massive staff cutbacks at the facility.
It’s no secret that the hospital is a mess. Locals say that GMH stands for “Get Me to Hawaii,” a reflection on the number of people that go off island for medical care. Hell, our current Lt. Governor left Guam for medical care earlier this month. The hospital lost its accreditation ages ago, so long ago I can only vaguely remember discussing this as an age-old fact ten years ago. The new administrator, Bill McMillan, says GMHA needs to trim 300 people from it’s payroll. Again, this is no secret. Everyone knows the hospital is overstaffed and provides pitiful healthcare. The hospital is run by GovGuam, and GovGuam is interested in one thing, providing jobs.
Perhaps I am being cynical, but I expect Bill McMillan to join the rest of broken and discarded hospital administrators. Most seem to last about six months to a year before they resign in frustration. The bureaucracy at GMHA thwarts all attempts at change. After all, they make enough money to go off-island for their healthcare and avoid GMH entirely.