Gov. Lemanu and Architects Hawaii continue to discuss plans for new hospital project

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The representatives from Architects Hawaii Ltd (AHL) from Honolulu, Hawaii have met with Governor Lemanu P. S. Mauga on June 7, 2023 regarding the timeline for the New Hospital Project. Governor Lemanu elaborated on his vision for the New Hospital:

“One major issue in the Pacific Islands is the insufficient resources of healthcare, forcing our patients to travel to other countries such as New Zealand, Australia, and the United States for all of our medical referrals. The goal of this new facility is to have adequate resources and to hire specialists to diagnose, treat, and care for our people. These services will also allow American Samoa to become a healthcare provider to all of the Pacific island nations.”

AHL Project Director Linda Lileikis mentioned that their assessments regarding off-island referrals from American Samoa are primarily Cardiology, Orthopedic, Ophthalmology, Neurology and Oncology. “We do not want to duplicate any services LBJ is providing; however, we plan to provide additional services to cater to the five major areas the people of American Samoa are being referred to off-island medical care for,” commented Project Director Lileikis.

Governor Lemanu has urged AHL to expedite final designs and work closely with the local team to start construction of the hospital.