Diverted patients, broken elevators, costly fixes: Senators hear GMH's pile of woes
A severe nursing shortage has been forcing Guam Memorial Hospital to divert patients or make them wait two days for more appropriate beds, while elevators, boilers, the roof and other parts at the hospital have been breaking down.
With a long list of challenges, senators and GMH officials said they support the idea of building a new hospital rather than continuously fixing the 41-year-old structure.
Health committee chair Sen. Therese Terlaje and other senators on Tuesday night held an oversight hearing on GMH. The hearing also brought up allegations of bloated staffing and salaries, non-payment of withholding taxes and a $2 photocopy charge per page of hospital document.
From $21M to $40M or $50M
An electronic health record system GMH needs to continue its Medicare eligibility was originally estimated at $21 million. GMH Administrator Lillian Perez-Posadas, however, said recent estimates put it at $40 million to $50 million.
Read more: https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2019/10/16/diverted-patients-broken-elevators-costly-fixes-gmh-woes-pile-up/3982671002/
(Guam Pacific Daily News)