Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The only way to stop Governor Lemanu P. S. Mauga from building the proposed new hospital at Tafuna — in the old Tafuna housing area, is for the LBJ Board to file a stop order request at the Court.

This is according to Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean.

The matter was raised during the Senate session last Wednesday by the Chairman of the Senate Hospital/ Public Health Committee, Senator Tuiasina Dr. Salamo Laumoli, who expressed his concern at the long amount of time which has passed since the Fono approved and forwarded to the administration, the Senate resolution that recommends to Governor Lemanu to adopt the US Army Corps of Engineers’ recommendation to renovate and rehabilitate the existing LBJ Tropical Medical Center, instead of building a new one.

“This is a very critical issue because it involves people’s lives,” Senator Tuiasina emphasized. “People who are suffering from terminal illnesses and need urgent medical care are waiting for a definite answer to this important matter but the governor has still not responded.

“A hospital is hallowed ground to the sick, a place that must be spotless and clean, a place of refuge for the stricken and dying.

“We should not let politics hinder efforts to improve its upkeep and the services it offers for the people of this territory.

“To put it bluntly, it should never be involved in politics, period!”

The Tualatai senator revealed that he has been in discussion with the chairman and members of the Board of the LBJ Hospital and they have echoed his concerns, saying they are also still awaiting the governor’s response.

He reiterated that this issue was of utmost importance because people’s lives are at stake.

“There must be a clear explanation on whatever the governor decides to do with this important matter because people are waiting and their lives depend on his decision,” said Tuiasina.

Tuiasina then directly addressed the Senate President and suggested that the Senate request a face to face meeting with the governor to ascertain his stance in the matter and find a way to move forward with whatever his decision is.

“The Senate’s position on this matter and its recommendation has been forwarded to the governor,” Tuaolo responded. “We don’t need a face to face meeting with him. It’s his call now.

“If he decides to disregard our recommendation and proceed with the construction of a new hospital in Tafuna, the only other way to stop him is for the LBJ Board to file a stop order request at the Court.”

The Senate Resolution already passed and forwarded to the governor recommends that the governor and the American Samoa Government “follow the recommendations of our local medical experts and allocate the full $300 million of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) capital investment into the healthcare facilities to LBJ Tropical Medical Center and support their efforts to follow the recommendations of the US Army Corps of Engineers to renovate and modernize the current facility at LBJ instead of building a new hospital.”

BACKGROUND

After the governor and ASG made their decision to invest in a new hospital in Tafuna, and amid the fallout from various sources about the decision, the governor directed the formation of a medical subcommittee to look at the issue and report on their findings.

And, an Executive Summary dated April 3, 2023 was issued by the Medical Subcommittee consisting of local doctors, nurses and medical officers of both LBJ and DoH. It was endorsed by nine medical doctors from both LBJ and DoH and four senior nurses.

In its Executive Summary findings, the subcommittee explained that after various discussions, ASG had decided the $300 million ARPA funds designed for capital improvements projects (i.e. the new hospital at Tafuna), would be divided into $100 million reserved for LBJ repairs and service expansions, with the balance of $200 million allocated to build a new specialized acute care 40-bed specialty hospital to capture new medical services.

However that decision to split the ARPA funds, according to the report, was made without consultation with medical planning experts — the LBJ Board was not consulted, and LBJ doctors and nurses were not consulted until very late in the process. Thus, the original proposal recommending the building of a stand alone 40-bed medical facility was flawed, unworkable and unsustainable.

The Medical Subcommittee offered their own recommendations in its summary:

OPTION A:    Return the $200 million to LBJ Hospital and follow the recommendations of USACE on improvements. This option provides the maximum healthcare benefits for the ARPA funds.

LBJ can build and manage a chronic care/ rehabilitative care facility at the current LBJ site for less money and provide better management of its patients if it is located closer to the current hospital.

The Medical Subcommittee urged ASG to adopt Option A.

OPTION B:    Build a long-term, chronic care/ rehabilitation specialty hospital, but only if Option A is not chosen.

This option will allow LBJ and DoH to also make significant upgrades and improvements to their services with the additional funds allotted to them.

OPTION C:    Build a “Mini-LBJ.”

This option is not recommended by the Medical Subcommittee, because a “Mini-LBJ” cannot be built within the allocated budget of $200 million; it will duplicate medical services; and, it will only serve a small segment of the population of American Samoa.

Option C is inequitable and unfair, the Summary said, and the operational costs would be prohibitively expensive. Maintaining such a facility would drain our resources.

And, there is no stable funding source to continue such an operation.