By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

THE Mayors Council of Guam has expressed support for a private group’s initiative to build a new hospital facility on island to augment the medical services being provided by the Guam Memorial Hospital.
“The mayors council wants to support that effort because we understand that with GMH as the only hospital on island, certain types of illnesses that require special needs are not adequately addressed and a lot of islanders are leaving Guam to seek treatment in the Philippines, Hawaii and California,” John Blas, the council’s executive director, told Variety.
The Guam Hospital Development Forum, founded by Peter Sgro, plans to build a 120-bed medical facility, tentatively called Guam Medical Center, which planners say will “co-exist” rather than compete with GMH.
“The mayors council received a presentation from Mr. Sgro last December and afterward, we adopted a resolution expressing our support for the project,” Blas said.
“We want to support efforts and initiatives that can make life better for the people of Guam,” he added. 
Sgro, the forum’s chairman and president of International Group Inc.,  said the forum has, for the past two months, been working on its business plan for the hospital project, which was conceptualized in July last year.
He said the 98-page plan, now in its final draft, will be released to the public on Jan. 18.
The forum is composed of 22 founding members, grouped into five committees that will address such issues as financing, location, recruitment and insurance, among others.
Blas said although village mayors cannot commit financial support to the forum, the council “will make itself available to provide assistance and support in the Guam Hospital Development Forum’s efforts to improve the quality of care for the people of Guam.”
In supporting the hospital project, the mayors council noted that GMH ”is often faced with overcrowded conditions, limited equipment and supplies and limited financial resources to support the needs of its patients despite the hospital maintaining committed physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians and other employees.”
In the resolution adopted on Dec. 20, the mayors noted that the financial limitations of the government of Guam make it difficult to make any “meaningful addition” of hospital beds at GMH.
“With the expected growth in civilian population as a result of military expansion, the already existing large demand for hospital beds and specialty health care services on Guam will continue to increase,” the resolution said.