Cold snap, floods cause chaos for patients at the Ministry of Defense’s flagship hospital
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Cold snap, floods cause chaos for patients at the Ministry of Defense’s flagship hospital

Patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland were referred elsewhere last month for operations, and another 212 has received their care as a result of a failure in the plant’s steam system and floods that destroyed more than 50 rooms.

The problems at the US military’s flagship plant began more than two weeks ago when the temperature dropped to the low teens in the Washington region, DC.

According to an information document from January 31, which was sent to Media members of Walter Reed, a steam leak disturbed in mid -January and problems with the aging steam facility of the Medical Center in the department that sterilizes surgical equipment and forces the plant to move 56 cases to other military hospitals and Tricher Network hospital in the region.

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Failure with the sterilization system also caused the plant to postpone 212 procedures and rely on sterilization processes at facilities including the National Institutes of Health; Fort BelvoirVirginia; and Andrews Air Force Base and Fort Meade In Maryland for equipment used in what continues to be a limited number of emergency procedures at Walter Reed.

Washington Post, who first reported the problems at the Medical Center on FridayQuoted sources that said while Walter Reed usually leads about 40 surgeries per day, the number is now down to individual numbers as a result.

“The primary assignment at this place is to be ready to take care of people who are seriously injured supporting battle operations. … and we can’t do it right now,” quoted paper a source as to say.

At the same time as steaming errors, a sprinkler tube blasted on the top floor of one of the plant’s central buildings and dumped 60,000 liters of water in five other buildings, including the iconic towers of the installation, an art deco hospital designed by President Franklin Roosevelt.

The specific cause of the leak “is still unknown”, but “insignificant cold weather and the age of physical plant facilities probably contributed to the leak”, according to the information document.

The water damage affected more than 50 rooms, five lifts and 11 corridors.

In a separate statement on Friday, the Defense Health Board said that the staff has “worked diligently around the clock” to address the issues, finance emergency work order and contracts and minimize disruptions in patient care.

“This urgent issue is aggressively handled to ensure that patient care continues to be delivered safely,” wrote officials in the statement.

The installation containing the medical center, Fleet support activity BethesdaDate to 1942, when the National Naval Medical Center began to accept patients, but many of the buildings that live medical services are new or have been renovated over the past 20 years.

2011, Walter Reed The army Medical Center, about four miles southeast of Bethesda Hospital, moved its patients to the facility and created Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a common medical center that deals with service members from all branches in Armed forces.

It was the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center that was the subject of a large scandal in 2007 over the regrettable state of housing and treatment of wounded service members from Iraq and Afghanistan.

But as late as 2022, the current Walter Reed National Military Medical Center also criticized the conditions for its barracks, with Junior Enlisted staff who reported that their homes had not had hot water or air conditioning for more than two years, according to the Navy Times.

Of the latest floods and system errors, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the situation was unacceptable.

“This is a result of deferred maintenance during the latest administration,” Hegseth wrote on the social media platform X Friday. “My staff prioritize fixing this, and during this president, our troops will only get the best care.”

The Defense Health Agency has allocated $ 806,000 in emergency financing to support remediation and restoration efforts, which are ongoing. It can take up to six weeks for the hospital to return to full operations, according to the agency.

According to the plant’s officials, stores and fast food restaurants along the hospital’s “Main Street” have reopened for business, and surgical teams work to “maximize the number of cases that can be done in remote places”, including Fort Belvoir.

Repairs have been completed in a department and in neonatal intensive care, and the hospital no longer diverts work and delivery services.

“In no time, patient care was compromised,” said DHA officials in a statement.

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