GMH hasn't provided epidurals for two years
The Guam Memorial Hospital's decision to stop administering labor epidurals was to come in line with the Joint Commission on Accreditation's requirements.
By KUAM NewsGuam - The Guam Memorial Hospital's decision to stop administering labor epidurals was to come in line with the Joint Commission on Accreditation's requirements. That's according to GMH staff anesthesiologist Dr. Reynald Lim, who says the hospital also lacked the proper equipment, namely a specific pump that would provide the continuous infusion of the medication to provide pain management.
"Before we used to do the labor epidural, but we weren't using the proper equipment and I believe that's the right way to give it given you're not using the proper equipment and there are safety concerns there," he told KUAM News.
GMH now offers the next best alternative by giving intrathecal narcotics, which are similar to spinal anesthesia but they do lack the quality of a labor epidural. Lim adds the hospital also lacks full time anesthesia service and staff to administer the drugs to women in labor.