HOSPITAL Water damage caused by a broken sprinkler on June 23 forced the closure of the operating room at La Tuque hospital. Although the exact duration of the closure is undetermined, the CIUSSS estimates that a return to normal could take a month.
The disaster affects the laundry, archives and operating theater areas. “You should know that in this sector, there are other activities that are carried out, we are talking among other things about minor surgeries, appointments in gynecology or for ENT treatments (related to the ears, nose, larynx, neck and head). All this is maintained, it is really the activities in the operating room which partly cease,” underlined the information officer of the CIUSSS de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec. , Laurence Chartrand.
“There is a room that has been set up to carry out all vital surgeries and we have all the equipment and staff necessary to carry out very urgent surgeries,” reassured Ms. Chartrand. It also indicates that certain surgical operations will have to be postponed while others will be transferred to hospital centers outside La Tuque.
“Fortunately, in La Tuque, we are within prescribed deadlines, which means that we can afford to postpone surgeries to a later date and still remain within the recommended deadlines. So in the short term, we do not see any issues for the population of La Tuque,” mentioned the director of proximity, partnership and fluidity of the local service network, Édith Bérubé.
The ten people who work in this department remain employed and are working on the reorganization of clinical activities.
“Claims inspectors came to examine the sprinkler which failed and at the moment, all the installation systems are functional,” specified Ms. Bérubé regarding safety measures in the event of fire.
Pending the assessment report, the cause of the sprinkler defect and the duration of the work remain unknown.
