By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

ELECTIVE surgeries at Princess Margaret Hospital have been postponed this week due to nonfunctioning air-conditioning units, the Public Hospitals Authority confirmed yesterday.

Judy Terrell, PHA director of communications, told The Tribune the hospital’s capital development unit was on the ground effecting repairs - the benefits of which would be felt as early as today.

“We’re in the process of doing repairs to the a/c unit in the theatre. We’re continuing with all other surgeries, emergency surgeries and medically required surgeries are being facilitated.

“It’s something we’re working on with a long-term solution in sight, and the benefits of repair work will be able to be felt tomorrow.”

Ms Terrell continued: “The way we’re addressing it now offers a long-term solution. But elective surgeries have been postponed as the hospital’s capital development unit seeks to repair non-functioning ac units in the theatre.”

A “back-up” air-conditioning system was installed at the Princess Margaret Hospital in May to replace the hospital’s faulty unit in the short-term.

Elective surgeries at PMH were postponed at the time due to the malfunctioning air-conditioning system.

Hospital administrator Mary Lightbourne-Walker confirmed the Critical Care Block (CCB), which houses the adult and neonatal intensive care unit and operating theatres, was “uncomfortably warm” as a result.

The CCB also contains the PMH laboratory, administrative offices, food court and reception area, accident and emergency, imaging services and the ambulatory department.

At the time, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said another unit had been ordered to ultimately replace that malfunctioning system.

He explained the unit, along with the installation of the back-up system, should provide a “permanent fix for what has been a vexing problem.”