Guam News - Guam News

Guam - The 2013 Budget Bill  [Sub. Bill #426] includes an amendment introduced by health Committee Chair Senator Dennis Rodriguez that requires the Department of Corrections to pay $1.2 million dollars for services provided by GMH to DOC inmates.

DOC currently owes more than $3-million dollars to GMH. The $1.2M would be in addition to the general fund appropriation GMH gets in every budget.

According to a release from the Senator's Office, the money would be re-directed to the Hospital from over-estimations of  DOC contractual services.

The release quotes Senator Rodriguez as saying   "It is time that this government lives up to its obligations to our only hospital. The department and agencies can no longer ignore the debts that are due to GMH."

The Senator also introduced another amendment, according to the release,  that directs the Department of Labor to pay off its existing $199,000 debt to GMH by utilizing funds in DOL's workman’s compensation fund.

READ the release from Senator Rodriguez in FULL below:

August 28, 2012
For Immediate Release
Additional $1.2M will go to GMH towards paying down GovGuam’s outstanding debt to the hospital.

Tamuning, Guam. The passage of the FY2013 appropriations bill includes a critical amendment by Health Committee Chairman Senator Dennis G. Rodriguez, Jr. that directs the Department of Corrections to instead utilize the over estimated difference of the contractual services as requested in the budget act with purpose of paying down significant portions of their outstanding debt to the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority.

Overall the past several years, the Department of Corrections has accumulated over $3M in debt to GMH.  "It is time that this government lives up to its obligations to our only hospital. The department and agencies can no longer ignore the debts that are due to GMH. This is our hospital and we all need to be responsible in ensuring the stability of its operations." Senator Rodriguez stated.  It has been a practice of government entities to overlook its financial obligations to GMH because its considered another government instrumentality.  "The same way we expect our private payers to pay the hospital in a timely manner, we need to likewise, hold our government accountable to the same standards.  This is only the start in my continuing efforts to make sure the other government agencies that owe the hospital pay up now or make arrangements to do so" Senator Rodriguez added.

Senator Rodriguez fully realizes the importance of ensuring the financial viability of GMH. This is a fact that for too long has been ignored due to competing fiscal demands elsewhere throughout the government.  He presently has several initiatives before the legislature that will improve the hospitals cash flow and reduce expenditures, thereby providing the financial means to improve services.  Senator Rodriguez knows that improving GMH finances will make certain that doctors and nurses will have the necessary tools to deliver quality healthcare to the people of Guam.

Another serious matter that Senator Rodriguez included in the budget act, directs the Department of Labor to extinguish its existing $199,000 debt to GMH by utilizing funds presently available in their workman’s compensation fund.

The $1.2M Senator Rodriguez moved on session floor is in addition to the general fund subsidies GMH receives on an annual basis.

< Prev		Next >