Power Outage at Victoria General Hospital Disrupts Services in Halifax
Halifax, NS – A power outage at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax on Friday night led to the transfer of five critical care patients to the Halifax Infirmary. The outage, which began at 11:30 p.m. AT, lasted approximately six and a half hours, raising concerns about patient safety and scheduled procedures.
Cause of the Outage
According to Nova Scotia Health, the power failure wasn’t due to a general grid issue, but rather a problem with the hospital’s internal electrical equipment. Nova Scotia Power explained that an issue with the hospital’s internal electrical equipment triggered a safety switch on a breaker, halting power to the building. The hospital’s backup generator also failed to activate due to a problem with the transfer switch, compounding the issue.
Patient Transfers and Service Disruptions
As a precautionary measure, five patients requiring critical care were moved to the Halifax Infirmary during the outage. No surgeries were in progress at the time, but Nova Scotia Health is reviewing scheduled surgeries, and patients with appointments scheduled for Monday are being advised to contact their care teams for confirmation.
Hospital Details and Location
The Victoria General Hospital, located at 1276 South Park Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is part of the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre. It houses outpatient clinics and services. The hospital has 900 beds and is a teaching hospital.
Ongoing Repairs and Contingency Plans
Crews restored power to the Victoria General by temporarily switching it to another breaker. Nova Scotia Health stated that contingency plans are in place should another outage occur whereas repairs to the backup generator and transfer switch are underway. The timeline for fixing the backup generator remains unclear.
History of Victoria General Hospital
The Victoria General Hospital was founded in 1867, originally known as the City and Provincial Hospital. It was renamed Victoria General Hospital in 1887 in honor of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The hospital has grown significantly over the years and remains a vital part of the healthcare system in Halifax.