The Colonial War Memorial Hospital will incur additional costs over the next four weeks as it maintains normal operations after a fire damaged its boiler room last Sunday.

Acting Medical Superintendent Dr James Fong said under the contingency plan laundry and incinerator services have been spread between Lautoka, Nadi and Sigatoka.

“What we have done is prioritise areas which are crucial and important,” he said.

“There will be struggles to make things happen like as it was done before, but the CWM Hospital will be able to maintain its core functions.”

The visiting Open Heart Initiative team coordinator, Melanie Windus, said they did not find any disruptions to their surgeries despite the fire on Sunday.

“We arrived last weekend and started with surgeries from Monday. The services by CWMH had been normal,” she said.

The group with surgeons from Australia are currently performing heart surgeries at CWM Hospital.

Dr Fong said the burned structure would be demolished and a new one would be built.

He said procurement of new machines for the boiler room had started.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Edited by Percy Kean

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