Victoria General hospital flooding forces surgery cancellations

Rosemarie Smith sat in a waiting room at the Halifax Infirmary, excited for doctors to finally move forward with her hip replacement surgery so she could get back to living her life at full speed again.

She says she had a feeling this morning the surgery, which was also her second scheduled attempt, wouldn't go through. But it took a while before it was announced to everyone in the check-in area that all surgeries, including day surgeries, were cancelled.

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"That left everybody in quite a state and I thought,'here we go again'," she said.

Thursdaynight's flooding at the Victoria General site forced the relocation of 50 patients and the cancellation of 106 surgeries across the city, including Smith's. Outpatient clinic patients were also affected by the flooding.

ArchyBealshad an appointment at the VG early Friday. However, he wasn't notified it was cancelleduntil he got to the hospital. Still, he's taking itin stride.

"It's an old building. You can't control when a flood's going to happen," he said, but adds,"you don't want this to happen again."

Smith says the process has been "quite a nuisance for her" as her original surgery, scheduled for earlier this month was cancelled because of an anaesthetist shortage, and now this.

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"We could have been contacted us last night, even if it was10 o'clock, they would have known two hours later, instead of having to go through this scenario today," she said.

Patients were offered chits for taxis and vouchers for $20 worth of food at the hospital. Smith says one man in the waiting room had come in last night and spent the night at the Lord Nelson in order to make it on time for his early morning appointment. His expenses would not be covered by the hospital.

"I think I'm going to go back this afternoon, go to TimHortons, get $20 worth and bring it down to Hope Cottage," she said. "Somebody might as well benefit somewhere along the line."

Nova Scotia Health Authority CEO Janet Knox said in a press conferenceFriday a team is working to re-book patient surgeries, but patients should call their clinics.