“Formentera’s operating room and delivery room are operational again”. The Health Area of Ibiza and Formentera announced on Monday morning that both Formentera Hospital spaces, which had been closed for a month after humidity was detected following the heavy rains brought by the storm dana Alice, have now reopened. As a result, all operations cancelled during this period — a total of thirteen — will be carried out “in the coming days”, with patients to be contacted directly.
Surgical activity will resume this Wednesday with seven Dermatology procedures, after the latest cultures confirmed that the surgical area is fully operational. Although scheduled procedures will restart on Wednesday, the operating room is already available as of Tuesday for emergency surgeries, the health area emphasised.
During the closure of Formentera’s surgical block and delivery room, five surgical interventions and two low-risk births were referred to Can Misses Hospital. Another low-risk birth was attended at Formentera Hospital.
The area had been closed and out of service since 13 October, when “humidity was detected in an anteroom of the surgical area”. Repairs were carried out, along with “all necessary sanitation measures led by the Infection Control Unit and the Microbiology Laboratory to ensure patient safety”, Can Misses reported. These measures were “expanded and strengthened in line with the results obtained after sampling and the comprehensive cleaning performed (including hydrogen peroxide nebulisation)”.
During the first week, urgent procedures were maintained, but scheduled activity was suspended. From 17 October onward, it was decided that the operating room would remain operative only for life-saving emergencies.
“The second-to-last laboratory report confirmed the presence of an environmental fungus, and once again a full cleaning of the area was carried out, followed by new samples, the results of which were not valid”, the Health Area explained. “Last Friday, 14 November, samples were taken again following the corresponding sanitisation, and the results received yesterday evening confirmed the preliminary data obtained five days earlier, indicating the possibility of an imminent reopening”.
Health management stressed that all measures regarding potential transfers were coordinated “with the reference centre, Can Misses Hospital, and SAMU061”. They also underlined that the closure was “preventive in nature” and that, in fact, both the operating room and the delivery room “remained operational in the event of any life-threatening emergency that might arise”.