Nova Scotia health officials are working on a long-term plan to cope with flood damage at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax.
Over 90 surgeries were postponed after a pipe burst on the fifth floor of the hospital Thursday night. A large part of the Centennial Building was evacuated shortly after.
“Nurses seemed to be running all over,” said one patient. “The P/A system was constantly going and I had a ‘do not drink or touch the water’ warning."
Patients and visiting families were forced to spend a few hours in the hallways while the building was reorganized on Saturday.
"They had to first accommodate the people in ICU, and we were just post-surgery patients on another floor, so we had to wait a little longer until they could figure out where we could go,” said one visiting family.
More than 50 people have been moved to other hospitals or buildings on site.
Parts of the building have been sealed off with signs warning of confirmed asbestos. Some parts could be out of commission for months.
The Centennial Building has been plagued by plumbing problems and water damage for years. The former NDP government announced plans to replace the building in 2011.
Some say it should just be renovated.
“It seems like such a waste, to get rid of a building like this,” said one resident.
Proposals to replace the building have stalled in recent years. Liberal Health Minister Leo Glavine says a plan may be presented to the public this fall.
But he says the health authority first has to come up with its own plans and specifications for the kind of hospital building it needs and where it will be built.
The Department of Health says they will provide an update Sunday afternoon.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.
