By Shaun Vardon
CTV News Ottawa Multi-Skilled Journalist
Published June 29, 2022 9:17 a.m. EDT
Click here to watch the CTV News story
The Queensway Carleton Hospital has upgraded 10 operating rooms with state-of-the-art technology.
Margaret Thomas, a former patient, is back for a tour of the upgraded operating rooms, that donors like the Thomas have helped pay for.
“I just think it’s important to have the best we can have at our local hospital, Thomas said. “It sounds amazing, the new technology; anything that can help the surgeons the nurses to be more efficient I think is great.”
The 10 operating rooms will be some of the most advanced in the region, with upgrades to flooring, lighting, communications, surgical displays, ventilation and latest smart software and hardware.
The Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation saying these upgrades will allow surgical teams and patients to have a safer and more reliable space for surgeries.
Dr. Bruce Gay, chief of the Department of Surgery and a general surgeon at the QCH says these upgraded operating rooms are a game changer.
“We used to have specialized rooms and if you had a case that needed that technology, you hoped you were put in that room. Now, that concern is gone. All surgeons can walk into the operating room and anticipate they will have state of the art care,” Gay said. “To get this new equipment, it would be literally impossible without the donations coming through the foundation, they are like the lifeblood for the hospital, without them we’d be in serious trouble and all the surgeons are extremely grateful for what the community has done.”
The 10 upgraded operating rooms will be completed by mid July, but they do not come cheap. The initial budget of $2 million has ballooned $2.5 million, with rising construction costs and supply chain issues to blame.
The QCH Foundation is turning to the community for support in an effort to secure the last $1 million to finish paying for the upgrades.
Shannon Gorman, the President and CEO of the QCH Foundation, says the community has always been there for the hospital, allowing the QCH to offer the best care to the 500,000 patients who pass through its doors every year.
“The new operating rooms will be incredible, they will improve the working conditions for staff, providing them with the most up-to-date and state-of-the-art equipment, and it will also help us with the backlog of surgeries that we currently have because there will be less down time,” Gorman said. “The community is so supportive and we need your support once again we have work to do to insure we can pay for theses incredible operating suites and we really rely on community dollars.”
