After an anonymous tip that claimed the Guam Memorial Hospital is unable to tend to the many incoming covid cases as well as providing antibody treatments at a reasonable time, PNC’s Althea Engman reached out to GMH to get their side of the story.
Here’s more.
According to the anonymous source, GMH Special Services have been overwhelmed with monoclonal antibody treatments, which has resulted in GMH ignoring fax prescriptions, turning 911 patients away, and deferring phone calls to sleepy summer interns.
Furthermore, the source went into further detail by providing text communications with another doctor who had to wait to receive treatment after testing positive for COVID-19.
Cindy Hanson, Guam Memorial Hospital PIO said, “The story that is being spread around the media right now of a patient who was kept waiting is simply not true, in fact we show that we show that we contacted the patient early in the morning, we were waiting for a referral, that referral didn’t arrive at the hospital until 3:15, and at that time it was late in the day and the doctor, cause apparently this patient is a doctor and out of their own volition that they would not stay at the hospital , they would wait until the following day to come in,but they received their treatment within the 24 hour timeline.”
The following was a statement made to PNC by GMH:
“We don’t receive 911 calls. If the comment is meant to imply that GMHA is turning away ambulances, again, this is false. The doctor making these claims is well aware that refusing patients in our ER would be a violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act”
“The accusation that we are ignoring faxed prescriptions is also false. When we receive a referral from a provider for a patient to receive the mAb treatment, the patient is contacted, and an appointment for treatment is scheduled within one – 24 hours.”
GMH added that it is outrageous that in an attempt to disparage GMHA, this doctor felt the need to insult the high school students participating in GovGuam’s summer internship program. This doctor yelled at the high school student and was very rude.
Cindy Hanson, Guam Memorial Hospital PIO said, “We don’t know why anyone is spreading these rumors they are not true, honestly we are very perplexed why it would happen, why a doctor of all people would be spreading false rumors like this, all it does is shake the confidence of the people, make them concern, maybe they are not gonna get the care they need and that’s absolutely, 100%, not the case.”
Currently, GMH has given out 464 treatments since the start of 2022, and despite the rumors going around, there has been no delay in patients getting treatment within the 24-hour timeline.
Reporting for PNC
I’m Althea Engman
