The re-opening of the Thompson General Hospital’s operating has been delayed.

 

The Northern Health Region stated in an update that the ORs have been pushed from next month to early March.

 

Craig Hillier, the executive director of clinical services in the Thompson area, clarifies what those delays are.

 

"There are pieces within operating rooms that need to be specifically manufactured. IN this case we're talking about the doors," Hillier says, adding that each door is custom made for a specific space.

 

Hillier explains that OR doors are meant to hold pressure within the operating room, and that they have to be sealed shut and opened properly to maintain sterility in the room for patient safety.

 

He says the hospital is expecting the doors to arrive from Winnipeg late January to early February.

 

The NRHA says that surgical procedures remain limited to life and limb-saving surgeries and emergency c-sections, but Hillier explains that the hospital has set aside a space for minor, non-urgent procedures that don’t require the sterility of an OR to help shorten the hospital's waiting list.

 

Three of the four operating rooms in the hospital were shut-down in June, after faulty air conditioning units located above the ORs caused flooding, which resulted in significant water damage.