Operations to resume at Weyburn hospital following evacuation

Operations will resume as normal on Saturday at the Weyburn General Hospital following investigation into a strong chemical odour that led to evacuation.

Access to the hospital’s emergency department resumed at 2 p.m. on Saturday with normal hospital operations to resume throughout the afternoon, according to an update from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).

The SHA said maintenance staff have ventilated the building and cleaned impacted areas to remove the chemical odour. The SHA and Weyburn Fire Department determined it was safe to resume operations.

Patients that were evacuated will be transferred back to the hospital throughout the afternoon.

“I would like to thank our patients, their families, the community of Weyburn and the many staff and physicians involved in helping us through the past 24 hours,” said Derek Miller, Chief Operating Officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

“The evacuation during this extremely cold weather could not have been done without the care, compassion and dedication of SHA staff, physicians and paramedics who acted in the best interests of patient safety at every step.”

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Around 11:30 a.m. on Friday, crews were called to the hospital for what was believed to be a gas leak, 22 patients along with staff were taken from the building and moved to local care homes.

It was discovered that a patient had come into the hospital contaminated with a crude oil product from the oil field. The odour spread through the building, prompting the evacuation.