HALIFAX – For the second time in 13 months, potentially dangerous drugs have been stolen from a Halifax hospital.
Everton McLean, spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Health Authority, said an emergency drug box was taken from the second floor of the Dickson Building.
“They are secured. They are not in a locked office but they are available to clinicians to use if someone were to have a heart attack,” he said.
McLean said the health authority alerted police Wednesday morning about the missing drugs.
He describes them as several vials of injectable drugs that are used in the event of a cardiac arrest.
A list of drugs provided to Global News includes Adenosine, Amiodarone, Atropine, Calcium Chloride, Dextrose, Dopamine, Epinephrine, Isoproterenol, Lidocaine, Metroprolol, Naloxone, Norepinephrine, Plenylephrine, Procainamide, Sodium Bicarbonate, Vasopresin and Verapamil.
McLean stresses that the drugs are only meant to be used by clinicians in an emergency setting or via a prescription.
“They can be life-threatening and dangerous if taken inappropriately,” he said.
McLean said an internal investigation will be completed to determine what happened.
He said he is confident only one emergency drug box was taken and there is now more security around the emergency boxes as a precaution.
“It’s obviously concerning. We have taken steps to make sure they’re secured to make sure they’re safe. We have to balance the need to have them available for clinicians with the need to keep them as secure as possible,” he said.
In August 2014, so-called ‘date rape’ drugs were stolen from the QE2.
“Measures were taken last time. We are going to review and take a look at what can be done differently,” he said.
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