Overview:
President Surangel Whipps Jr. is defending the selection of Ngesibang in Airai as the site for Palau’s new national hospital, saying the location was ranked highest in a government-commissioned site study and offers space for future expansion. The decision comes as questions remain over the site-selection process, congressional authority and the timeline for completing the hospital’s design and construction.
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
KOROR, Palau (August 24, 2026) – President Surangel Whipps Jr. is defending the decision to relocate Belau National Hospital to Ngesibang, Airai, amid questions about the site-selection process and whether the decision requires congressional approval.
Whipps said the current hospital site in Koror covers approximately 55,000 square meters—more than 13 acres. However, he said the Hospital Relocation Committee recommended that the new hospital be built on a site of at least 10 acres, which effectively excluded the available Koror location – Asahi Baseball Field area from consideration.
As a result, the committee considered two remaining sites offered by Airai State namely Ngesibang and Koksai in Ngatpang.
Whipps said Airai and Ngatpang were the only states that offered land with clear titles showing government ownership. He also emphasized the size of the Airai property, which covers approximately 600,000 square meters.
According to the president, the site analysis recommended the site because it is larger and would allow room for future expansion if the need arises. It could also provide space for a warehouse for medical equipment and, if needed, housing for healthcare workers, said Whipps.
Architects Hawaii Ltd., a Honolulu-based multidisciplinary design firm, conducted the site-selection study with funding from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The contract is valued at more than $2.3 million.
Whipps said the firm ranked Airai as the best site, followed by Ngatpang and then Koror.
U.S. Deadline and Design Work
Whipps reported that “the United States has said that we want to break ground before we leave office in 2028” regarding the construction of the new hospital.
When asked whether the firm had completed all 14 deliverables required under its contract, Whipps said the design work had not yet been completed.
“The 30% preliminary design has not been done, but to be able to achieve that, we must determine the site first, which the committee has determined. Then the next part of the process is to come up with the design and the cost estimate”.
Whipps said international donors expected to arrive in Palau within a week would receive a presentation from the architectural firm.
“Our donors who are all to arrive in a week will hear a presentation from the Architecture firm, which will, at the time, give them the estimate of how much it is going to cost, so that they could go back to their governments and come back with how much they will be able to help us with financially”.
The proposed hospital is intended to replace Palau’s aging national hospital facility and provide increased capacity and modernized medical services. The feasibility study evaluated three potential sites in Airai, Koror and Ngatpang.
Congressional Role Questioned
When asked whether the decision to relocate the hospital to Airai was final and whether congressional approval was required, Whipps said, if Congress believes the hospital should be built elsewhere, then “Congress should put up their analysis of why it should go somewhere else.”