The Department of General Services shall, without cost or obligation to the state, assist the Chowchilla Memorial Hospital District, and any other hospital district with a bed capacity of less than 100 beds which has entered into a joint powers agreement with the Chowchilla Memorial Hospital District, in procuring insurance for the purpose of paying medical injury tort judgments or settlements exceeding one million dollars ($1,000,000) in the aggregate. Any such procurement may, upon request of the hospital district concerned, be made by the Department of General Services on behalf of such hospital district.