Updated 8pm, Friday: The Department of Health say investigations into the cause of today’s incident at the Launceston General Hospital are continuing.
“A number of staff working in a theatre reported feeling nauseous and faint. Affected staff have been supported and provided with medical treatment where appropriate, with three staff assessed in the emergency department,” a spokesperson said.
“No patients were directly affected by this incident and all surgical activity underway at the time of the incident was completed.”
“One planned surgery which had not yet commenced was required to be cancelled and will be rescheduled as soon as possible.”
“While the incident is believed to have been contained to one theatre, the LGH closed other theatres as a precaution to ensure patient and staff safety.”
“All planned surgery for this weekend will be reviewed while the issue is looked into. Emergency surgeries will continue to take place.”
Earlier: Staff at the Launceston General Hospital have received medical treatment following an incident in the hospital’s theatre complex that reportedly caused some staff to collapse this afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the hospital at about 2:40pm on Friday after reports of a suspected gas leak.
The Department of Health confirmed the incident in a statement.
“The affected areas have been vacated as we work to establish the cause of the issue,” a spokesperson told Pulse.
“Staff have been supported and provided with medical treatment where appropriate.”
They stressed their priority “remains to keep staff and patients safe”, saying further updates would be provided when available.
A Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson confirmed fire crews attended the scene to investigate the potential gas leak.
“Fire crews were called to a potential gas leak about 2:40pm. The premises were reportedly ventilated prior to crews arriving. Crews remain at the scene,” the spokesperson said.
