Calif. cardiologist sets up shop at Precision Medical Imaging

Commuting more than 5,000 miles from California to look after Guam patients in the past 17 years, Dr. Juan Carlos Quiros will now be extending his specialty healthcare to Saipan residents.

Dr. Juan Carlos Quiros has his picture taken at Precision Medical Imaging on Middle Road in Gualo Rai. (Contributed Photo)

Quiros, medical director for international services at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California, will be extending his specialty service in the area of cardiology to patients on Saipan from here on out.

Last Tuesday, Quiros visited Saipan and provided services at Precision Medical Imaging, which is located on Middle Road, Gualo Rai. He attended to 50 patients in just a span of three days.

“I have come to Guam, and now Saipan, on a regular basis to do cardiology consultations as requested by primary care physicians, and in working with them, assist in the care of their patients,” he said.

Quiros said he understands the need for specialized medical care on the islands and wanted to help bridge that gap.

“As a physician, I want to know that I have been a positive impact on my patients’ health,” Quiros said.

He was most passionate about this, saying it is not so much his goal as a cardiologist but the goals he holds personally.

He also credits the support he gets from the Good Samaritan Hospital, which has been committed to the islands for over 30 years. Good Sam, as what most people know Good Samaritan Hospital as, has been part of Guam’s extended family for nearly three decades—always helping those in need while they’re thousands of miles away from home seeking medical treatment.

What was most rewarding to Quiros over the years of his visits is the improvement in the health of Guam’s population.

“It’s great to see so many people partaking in healthy activities nowadays as compared to the past. Hope that trend now continues here on Saipan,” he said. He also hopes the younger generations are more health-minded.

What concerns him most about his patients is “the possibility that there may not be enough financial support to implement some of the vital health care initiatives needed in the islands.”

Quiros originally visited the region as part of a group. Once he and the group separated, he continued his commitment to serve Guam despite being in Southern California.

He said that in his first visit to Saipan, he was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and supportive the islanders were.

Quiros grew up in Southern California, going through the Catholic school system up to and including college. He also went to Loyola Marymount for undergraduate school, finished medical school in Spain, and then did his postgraduate training in New York.

He said he has been very fortunate to have learned from very good teachers and most have been his mentors in influencing him to pursue cardiology.

He promised to continue to come to the islands as long as his help and expertise are required.

“I can probably write a book about life-changing experiences. However, let’s just say the path is always set, we just have to recognize it…I will continue to come to the islands as long as I am needed and wanted and look forward to the islands that all are willing to be team players,” he said.