Three operating theatres at Calvary public hospital to be closed for 'some months' following fire

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the three theatres suffered damage due to a combination of fire, water and smoke.

All seven surgery theatres at the Bruce hospital were closed for a month following a fire on December 6. Three theatres reopened in early January.

A fourth theatre is expected to be opened next month.

Ms Stephen-Smith has also acknowledged the fire had been an "incredibly traumatic experience" for staff.

"As I am sure many of us can imagine, this has been a tough time for all affected staff," she said.

"Workload impacts have been high at both [Canberra Health Services] facilities and Calvary.

"I am assured that significant supports have been provided to affected staff at Calvary."

Preliminary investigations have found the cause of the fire was an electrical fault with equipment in the theatre.

The fire and subsequent closure of the theatres affected elective surgeries and Ms Stephen-Smith said the complex would continue to be "heavily impacted".

MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS:

There were 106 elective surgery sessions cancelled between December 6 2022 to January 17 2023 due to the fire. About 1200 patients were sent letters saying their surgery was likely to be impacted.

Many category one urgent surgeries were redirected to Calvary's private hospitals. Staff from the public hospitals were also sent to help with these surgeries.

"I am being regularly briefed on the impacts the Calvary fire is, and will continue to have on elective surgery, as the teams consider all options for reaching our elective surgery targets," Ms Stephen-Smith said in the Legislative Assembly.

"This is an incredibly difficult time for staff and patients who have been impacted by the fire, which has come on the back of a number of years of disruption with the bushfires and significant impact of COVID-19."

The fire also meant maternity services at Calvary were unable to operate as maternity services require access to theatres in cases where a caesarean section is needed.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.