About 3,000 operations have been done at the CWM Hospital from January to April this year and 5 out of the 8 operation theatres are currently functioning at the hospital.
This has been confirmed by the Minister for Health Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete while responding to a question asked by NFP MP Lenora Qereqeretabua on how long did it take the ministry to get the air conditioning units at the hospital’s operation theatres fully repaired. Qereqeretabua also claimed that patients due for surgeries were turned away at least 4 times in December until mid-January this year.
Doctor Waqainabete says from January to April, 698 to 700 operations have been done in one month while the health workers were on the front-line dealing with COVID-19.
He says three operating rooms operate on weekends and two rooms continue to run from 8pm to 8am.
Doctor Waqainabete says they do not run all the theatres all the time even before they had issues with the three operating theatres.
He says they are currently in the process of fixing the other three operating theatres and are also planning towards the replacement of the whole air conditioning system.
Doctor Waqainabete also says the patient that Qereqeretabua is claiming was turned away from surgery 4 times from December until mid-January this year, was not turned away 4 times.
He says it is important to note that more than 10,000 operations are done in the theatres at CWM Hospital.
Doctor Waqainabete says even during the COVID-19 lockdown until now, operating theatres are activated in Rakiraki and Sigatoka Hospital where teams from Lautoka Hospital are conducting operations.
He says the surgeons are working with teams all over the world to discuss what will be the new norm in terms of COVID-19 operations.
Doctor Waqainabete says the air conditioning supply company has assured the ministry that the air conditioning unit will be completely repaired at the earliest opportunity when the rest of the parts come in.
