By David Lubofsky for Kandit News & Views
GUAM HAS THE HIGHEST MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE IN THE USA, IF NOT THE FREE WORLD.
These issues are on the shoulders of Dr. Shieh and Dr. Berg, among others who fought to make sure that we can’t sue for medical negligence or hold anyone accountable as the rest of the country can, to make sure medical negligence doesn’t happen to other mothers. In fact, one percent of doctors commit 32 percent of Medical Malpractice in the USA but that figure is estimated to be much higher on Guam due to a total lack of medical accountability and not identifying these doctors.
Berg and the Guam Board of Medical Examiners have never found any doctor liable in near seventy complaints by injured, killed or inappropriate sexual misconduct allegations by Guam patients against Guam doctors over the last seven years. The 38th Guam Legislature in their oversight and legislative capacity seems apathetic to these documented issues and even reconfirmed Dr. Berg as a member on the Guam Board of Medical Examiners in opposition of patient testimony and real concerns.
Even Senator Sabrina Salas Matanane prior to being elected acknowledged serious issues at the Guam Board of Medical Examiners but as senator, along with her colleagues, ignored her own concerns and voted for the status quo keeping medical consumers at risk.
Dr. Shieh has gone so far as to support taking away the Government Claims Act rights and protections from GMH patients in case of medical negligence including with botched C-sections. With clear problems on Guam with maternal care, his specialty, leading to deaths on island you would think he would advocate for accountable maternal medical care so repeat mistakes don’t happen by the same doctors as national statistics imply.
GREED-motivated medical care supported by donations to those at the Guam Legislature has been a big factor in the demise of medical care on Guam in my opinion. The Guam Legislature has gone out of their way to reward their donor doctors through legislation including Bill No. 118-38, which gives tax breaks to the most affluent on Guam for doing their job. This puts the lost tax burden on the working taxpayers to the tune of millions. This doesn’t even take into consideration that on Guam due to the Medical Malpractice Mandatory Arbitration Act, supported by our legislature, Guam doctors are allowed to escape paying malpractice insurance premiums unlike their colleagues in the rest of the country.
The irony of it is that Bill 118 is supposed to help Medicaid patients, but It does not deal with the real issues of patient Medicaid access to doctors as outlined by doctors locally and similarly nationally such as lower reimbursement rates by 30 percent compared to other patients, possibly a year to get reimbursed, problems at DPHSS with processing claims and the extra paid staff time needed. The irony speaks loudly when Dr. Shieh now refuses to take Medicaid patients due to Bill 118, further putting maternal care patients at risk. Good job 38th Guam Legislature in protecting poor moms and babies.
Guam doctors with these concessions may have the lowest overhead financial obligation of any doctor in the country, with the lowest level of accountable medical care, supported by our tax dollars and at least one Guam doctor refusing to see the poorest mom’s on island. What the hell is going on? I’m not an expert in this but it sounds to me like the legislature is asleep at the wheel or has too much 2026 dust in their eyes.
As we discuss this now, there are major allegations of fraud and inappropriate or unnecessary medical procedures, sometimes by undertrained staff, against a well known Guam doctor by another Guam doctor. Thus far Senator Sabrina Salas Matanane and her colleagues at the legislature who are well aware of these issues have gone silent as expected on these allegations and the Guam Board of Medical Examiners didn’t discuss the allegations at their recent meeting. Is this another cover up unfolding?
THE DEADLY FIX IS IN as the 38th Guam Legislature looks at 2026 rather than real current issues with patient care that have left many mothers and babies dead, not to mention the rest of us.
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David Lubofsky is a resident of Tamuning
