Local control the best alternative

The Maui News
Sunday, January 28, 2007

EDITORIAL

The Malulani controversy has underlined two basic facts: Maui needs more and better hospital facilities and it needs more direct control of where it is built.

State control, via the State Health and Development Agency and the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., has blocked the development of the kind of hospital services needed for a growing population.

Maui Sens. Shan Tsutsui, J. Kalani English and Roz Baker, called to task for failing to support the privately funded Malulani Health and Medical Center in Kihei, and Rep. Bob Nakasone have introduced legislation that would take Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Hospital out of the HHSC, which has used Maui Memorial revenues to offset losses at 11 other hospitals in the state.

Local control of a countywide hospital system would allow a partnership with private hospital developers, independent fundraising and to set priorities for the development of services. Other communities have successfully built up-to-date hospitals with the same sort of system.

Maui is a mature community more than affluent enough to support a public-private hospital system that would be responsive to community needs. Up-to-date facilities would attract the specialists needed.

The alternatives are for the Legislature to exempt Malulani from state permitting or to have the state spend millions in taxpayer money to upgrade Maui Memorial.

Copyright © 2005 The Maui News.

Original article URL: http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=27147

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