Dr. Ron Kwon, the Maui physician behind to move to build the 150-bed Malulani Health & Medical Center, called the 5-2 vote to approve the facility's application for a state certificate of need "a great day for Maui."

The issue of whether the island of 140,000 residents can support a second full-service hospital has been a heated one, with state-subsidized Maui Memorial Medical Center vigorously opposing the Malulani project. Maui Memorial officials had testified the competing hospital would result in $55 milion in lost revenues and would dilute medical resources, including the island's small pool of healthcare workers.

But during testimony Friday and Saturday, dozens of physicians, nurses and residents expressed their frustration with Maui Memorial's services and facilities.

Kwon said public testimony and backing from Gov. Linda Lingle and Mayor Alan Arakawa helped persuade the panel that a new hospital is essential to the growing Maui community.

The Tri-Isle Subarea Health Council is one of three panels that will review Malulani's application and submit recommendations to State Health Planning & Development Agency Administrator David Sakamoto, who will make a final decision on the matter.

The new hospital is proposed for 40 acres off the Lipoa Parkway in Kihei. It is a partnership between the nonprofit Malulani Health Systems Inc. and Triad Hospitals Inc. of Plano, Texas. The partnership estimates it will cost $212 million to build a state-of-the-art healthcare campus whose major components include a comprehensive imaging center, open-heart surgery capabilities not now available on Maui, a 20-bay emergency department and a heliport.

All patient rooms would be private, with 110 set aside for medical/surgical cases, 25 for critical care, 10 for labor and delivery, and five for neonatal intensive care, also not currently available.