Operating Rooms 3 and 4 at the CWM Hospital which were forced to close last Monday due to a recent spill of sluice wastewater, and not raw sewage, as alleged by media reports, are back online from today.
The Ministry of Health says a blockage in the emergency department had caused a spillage of wastewater into the East Wing operating rooms.
The Ministry says this blockage was caused by materials that should not have been there, which originated from the shared sluice room.
They say due to quick action by their maintenance team, who detected the defect early, the plumber on-site was able to clear the blockage and restore normal flow in the drainage system.
The Ministry says following this, their Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) team thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the affected areas, isolating everything that was impacted, while their operational teams made sure hygiene standards were strictly upheld.
They say last Friday a private cleaning company was engaged to perform a deep clean of the operating theatre, ensuring it was safe for future surgeries.
The Ministry says this process was completed yesterday, ensuring they meet the necessary IPC protocols and confirming that Operating Rooms 3 and 4 were now safe for use again.
They say their team worked around the clock to address this issue, ensuring that patient care continued uninterrupted.
The Ministry says this was made possible through the utilisation of Operating Rooms 1 and 2 for general emergencies, a step-down room for septic cases, and the establishment of an obstetric operating room in the Labour Ward for both emergency and elective cesarean sections.
They say discussions are also underway regarding the utilisation of operating theatres in their partner private hospitals in the event of unforeseen cases like these in future.
The Ministry adds these problems stem from the hospital's outdated structure and will be fully addressed once the long-awaited major refurbishment is completed.
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