House Representative Tapai Alailepule Benjamin Vaivao has urged that the House Health Committee look into the high number of deaths occurring at the LBJ Hospital. Speaking on the on the House floor Monday, he said the death rate is alarming and there should be an inquiry into the causes.
Tapai said he was one of the lucky ones who got treated off-island for “something that happened” at the local hospital. But he said he thinks of those who cannot afford to seek medical care off-island, and he wonders if some of the deaths at LBJ could have been avoided. He acknowledged the hard work of doctors and nurses with the limited resources available. He suggested, however, that doctors would try to get their USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) credentials.
Tapai did not elaborate on what he experienced at LBJ Hospital. In a follow-up interview with KHJ News, he said he received an incision on his knee at the LBJ Orthopedic Clinic to drain out fluid, just a few days before leaving on an off-island trip.
He said he was rushed to a hospital in Arizona when his knee became swollen. The doctor who examined him said they needed to open his knee and clean it out to kill bacteria in his blood. It was suspected that the sepsis in his knee was from the incision made at LBJ.
Tapai said when the hospital in Arizona called LBJ, there was no record of the incision on his knee. The faipule said he was thankful that he was off-island to get proper treatment, and he fears that, if he hadn’t, he may have become one of the “death stats” at LBJ. He said that, based on his own experience, he wonders if some other deaths at the local hospital could have been prevented.
