A&E Dept evacuated

According to South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) corporate communications manager Krystal Marcano, investigations are continuing into the incident which was first detected at ten o’clock on Thursday night.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Marcano said that staff members first realised that something was amiss when they got the scent of something burning. Shortly after, wisps of smoke were seen in the building which is located at the western side of the hospital complex.

She said the Fire Services were immediately notified and the building evacuated as a precautionary measure. However, she said, after an hour, the Fire Services gave the all-clear for patients and medical personnel to return to the Accident and Emergency Department with operations resuming as normal.

Marcano said, investigations into the cause of the smoke were continuing and could not say whether any damage had been sustained during the incident.

“All of our services are back up and only when the investigation is completed, then we will be able to say what was the cause of the smoke and whether there was any damage,” Marcano said.

When Newsday visited the hospital, operations seemed normal at the A&E Department while outpatient clinics, together with dispensary services, which is located close to the department, were all operating normally.