HALIFAX – All non-eye surgeries have resumed after a flood at the Victoria General Hospital’s Centennial Building forced officials to shut off water and postpone surgeries on Monday morning.
Eye surgeries resumed Tuesday, with three out of the four eye surgery operating rooms opened.
The fourth room will open up on Wednesday.
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The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) say the source of the flood, a leak on the third floor, has been repaired.
An update from the NSHA said some surgeries scheduled Monday afternoon could be postponed because of the late start to the afternoon procedures.
The NSHA says the bulk of the damage was sustained by a sterile supplies room.
“The damage was mostly contained in that one room,” said QEII senior director Karen Mumford.
“The Staff responded extremely quickly and were able to protect most of the supplies by moving them out. There were some that have been damaged that will require to be disposed of but the majority were able to be removed.”
Water was shut off in the building, but was restored around 9 a.m. Patients are being advised to let the water run for a few minutes before using it.
A total of 31 eye clinic day surgeries were cancelled, but outpatient eye appointments did go ahead.
“If there is any emergencies from an ophthalmology perspective, however, we are able to proceed with one room,” said Mumford.
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Four patients were moved to other rooms due to the flooding.
This is the second flood affecting the hospital procedures in a couple months. A major flood hit the hospital hard in September, closing many beds, canceling hundreds of surgeries and rendering some floors unusable.
With files from Rebecca Lau
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