A hospital pharmacy closed down in April reopened Wednesday. The pharmacy was closed after equipment used to extract fumes from the manufacturing of chemotherapy medicines was found be not connected to the ventilation system.
The Health Services Authority added it had also moved the preparation of the medicines to the George Town Hospital’s chemotherapy department “designated cleanroom” for safety reasons, although tests had shown there was no “hazardous contamination” detected in the pharmacy.
The Anthony S Eden Hospital’s pharmacy was shut down about nine weeks ago after it was feared fumes from the procedure had been released over an unspecified period.
Lizzette Yearwood, the HSA CEO, said, “We want to reassure the public that there was no risk of exposure to patients or visitors during this period, including those in the pharmacy waiting area.
“The safety of our patients and staff is always our highest priority, and we are confident that all necessary steps have been taken to restore the pharmacy environment safely.”
The authority added that deep cleaning of the pharmacy, with advice from experts in occupational health, environmental safety, and infection control, had been carried out.
The HSA added that compliance with safety protocols has been enforced, and routine checks of the pharmacy environment and equipment continued to be made.
The reopened pharmacy will operate between 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday and between 11am to 7pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
The pharmacy at Smith Road Medical Centre, which served as an alternate during the closure of the hospital pharmacy, will return to its regular Monday to Friday hours of 8am to 9pm, and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
The HSA added that district health centres also continued to dispense prescription medicines during the closure.
Related Videos
