Surgeries and procedures have been postponed at Saskatoon City Hospital after it was placed under a boil water advisory.
A hospital staff member noticed yellow-coloured water coming out of a faucet around 3 p.m. CT on Monday. Staff and patients immediately started using bottled water for drinking and eating, hospital officials said.
A boil water order took effect at 10:30 p.m. on Monday.
“At this point, we do not know what caused the water quality issue,” Dr. Johnmark Opondo, the deputy medical health officer for the Saskatoon Health Region, said.
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Potential pipe infrastructure issues have already been considered.
“As far as we know, there hasn’t been any major infrastructure work done within the facility in the last little while anyway,” Dr. Opondo said.
The first test results were scheduled to be available at 11 p.m. on Tuesday. Two consecutive negative samples are required for the order to be lifted.
“We have taken all the necessary safety precautions to protect our patients and our staff while we await the results of the water quality testing.”
Under the boil water advisory, no tap water can be consumed in the building.
Saskatoon Health Region officials said emergency water supplies, including bottled water, have been distributed to all units and departments for patients and staff.
The order does not affect toilet use or hand washing.
The hospital is still open for all non-invasive procedures and appointments, including the emergency department.
However, 38 surgeries scheduled for Tuesday have been postponed and additional procedures, including endoscopies, have been postponed until further notice.
Some patients with urgent care needs have been moved to other hospitals.
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Staff are calling affected patients to let them know of the postponed procedures, however, officials said contact numbers for some patients are not available.
Surgeries scheduled for Wednesday could also be impacted.
“You will be hearing from one of us in the Saskatoon Health Region or even potentially by your surgeon themselves,” said Cindy Graham, the health region’s director of surgical services.
They are asking anyone who has a procedure booked for Tuesday to call 306-655-8231 to confirm whether it is still going ahead.
Ryan Kessler contributed to this story
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