Four operating theatres at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona remained closed on Tuesday after heavy rain disrupted services on Monday 5 October, forcing the postponement of 54 procedures.
Patients whose operations were postponed face continuing disruption as activity is restored gradually. The hospital's neonatal unit was also affected: babies were moved between the paediatric intensive care unit and other parts of the Children's Hospital, although most have since returned to the neonatal service, according to hospital manager Albert Salazar.
"Climate change has arrived to stay," Health Minister Olga Pané said during a visit to Vall d'Hebron on Tuesday, arguing for structural measures to reduce the risk of rain damaging hospitals again.
Rain halted activity in nine operating theatres
The rainfall halted activity in three operating theatres at Vall d'Hebron's main site and six at its Pere Virgili campus. Four were still shut on Tuesday, with the hospital expecting activity to resume progressively.
Salazar said neonatal services had recovered about 80% of their capacity and that full normalisation was expected in the coming hours and days. Rain also affected an area used for supplementary MRI examinations and several non-clinical areas needed for the hospital to operate.
Repairs will use an emergency processing route
Pané said the government approved measures on Tuesday to speed up repairs at healthcare sites affected by the flooding. The system will allow works to be processed as emergency actions, shortening administrative timescales.
She cautioned that faster processing would not mean repairs would be completed next week because of the scale of the damage.
Hospital de Granollers had returned to normal operation, Pané said, except for its pharmacy area. City technicians have also inspected facilities at several Barcelona hospitals and health centres after the rain.
Reported by beteve.cat, hospital.vallhebron.com, elperiodico.com, [email protected], catalunya.satse.es, vallhebron.com, betevé.
