Equipment failure closes operating room at Papineau Hospital

The operating room at Papineau Hospital in western Quebec has been closed indefinitely due to the failure of sterilization equipment, according to the regional health authority.

Since Monday, the hospital 40 kilometres northeast of downtown Ottawa has been transferring patients and staff from its operating room to Gatineau Hospital, where an additional operating room has been opened to perform surgeries, a spokesperson for the Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux de l'Outaouais (CISSSO), told CBC. 

No further surgeries will be performed at Papineau Hospital until its sterilization machines are fully functional again, CISSSO said in an emailed statement Thursday. CISSSO did not provide a timeline for repairs. 

Emergency cases are being transferred to hospitals in Gatineau and Hull. 

The Union of Health and Social Services Workers of the Outaouais is concerned by the closure, which was first reported by Radio-Canada.

"I hope there won't be too many delays for people [waiting for surgery]," said union president Alain Smolynecky.

But the president of the Outaouais Health Professionals Union praised CISSSO for rescheduling operations elsewhere.

"The employer quickly established a plan, met with the team to announce its intention to transfer operations to Gatineau, while respecting working conditions and schedules," said Karine d'Auteuil.

"Aside from the physical location, everything remains as is."