Lawmakers praise visible repairs at Guam Memorial Hospital but warn oxygen supply and finances remain fragile

Senator Sabrina Salas Matanane convened an on‑site oversight hearing at Guam Memorial Hospital on April 6 to review the hospital’s operational status, infrastructure projects, and recent contingency measures after a March disruption to the island’s liquid‑oxygen supply.

The hospital’s interim chief executive, Jolene Aguon, led senators on a tour of recently completed and ongoing capital improvements funded through several legislative appropriations and a CIP dashboard she said the hospital will share with the committee. Many senators praised the visible progress; Senator Chris Duenas and others said the facility looked “a world of difference” from prior visits.

GMH’s chief financial officer, Yukiko “Yuka” Hachino, told the committee, “We received the 40 million,” referring to Public Law 38‑59. She said most of that appropriation paid down vendor payables and that $10 million remained allocated to key projects: $5 million for the electrical distribution system and $5 million for IT network infrastructure (the latter already obligated). The hospital said the $20 million intended from the net unobligated FY2026 general fund balance is recognized only after fiscal‑year close and has not yet been disbursed.

Hospital engineers walked members through…