24 Jul 2013

LBJ hospital in American Samoa to receive more funds

12:36 pm on 24 July 2013

The cash strapped LBJ Medical Center in American Samoa is getting a funding boost from the territorial government for fiscal year 2014.

The subsidy for the government-owned hospital for the current fiscal year, 2013, is four million US dollars but the new fiscal year calls for an additional two million.

The governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga says the additional funding subsidy qualifies the hospital for an additional two million from the federal government's Medicaid funds, therefore yielding four million of additional revenue to finance healthcare services in the territory.

Governor Lolo says the higher subsidy compliments the work of the hospital's board and management, in its attempt to reduce the administrative costs of the healthcare system.

According to budget documents, the medical center's budget for the new fiscal year is 44 million dollars.