The boiler issue that directly led to several elective surgeries being postponed at Chatham's hospital has been fixed.
Over the past two weeks, 75 surgeries at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) were postponed because staff weren't able to sterilize surgical instruments at their usual rate.
Along with helping heat the hospital, the boiler is used in the sterilizing process through its steam.
"Temporary boiler systems are now in place, inspected, and operational. These systems have stabilized our operations and allowed us to move forward with confidence while we plan and implement permanent solutions," said Adam Topp, president and CEO of the CKHA.
Staff were still able to perform 75 per cent of the planned elective surgeries. No emergency surgeries were impacted by the boiler issue.
"I am grateful to our Surgical Physicians, Anesthetists, Operating Room team, Medical Device Reprocessing department, and Frontline staff, who continued to deliver care with compassion and commitment," added Topp.
He explained that they are looking into how best to accommodate each person who had to cancel their surgery.
