6 Jun 2011

New hospital on Guam to cut down on overseas treatment

7:05 pm on 6 June 2011

Construction of a 400 million US dollar hospital in Guam is expected to get underway by the end of the year.

An investor has been secured for the first phase of the facility, which will house 130 beds and is expected to take some pressure off the island's Memorial Hospital.

Chairman of the Hospital Development Foundation, Peter Sgro, who's been advocating for a private hospital for the past five years says it will also include a full-scale cancer centre and diabetes institute - firsts for the island.

And he says that fewer people will need to travel abroad for treatment.

"After phase one of the project is complete because there's two phases, we anticipate that there will be a retention of residents of about 62-65 percent that will be able to remain on Guam and get the services right here that they've been getting off-island."

Chairman of the Hospital Development Foundation, Peter Sgro.