Dozens of patients at a major Australian hospital have been evacuated after black mold was discovered in air conditioning ducts.
The fungus was found on the Peel Health Campus in Mandurah, south of Perth, during an audit ahead of the hospital’s transfer from private to public next year.
Specialist medical transport vehicles were deployed on Saturday to evacuate 32 patients, more than 24 hours after the fungus was discovered.
Peel Health Campus CEO Matthew Wright told media on Saturday that the fungus was discovered late Thursday.
Another spokesperson for the hospital, run by Ramsay Healthcare, said it had acted ‘as quickly as possible’ to ensure patient safety.
Staff evacuated 32 patients from Peel Health Campus near Perth after mold was found in the air conditioning (pictured shows a patient being wheeled out of the building)
The patients are cared for in a number of other hospitals run by Ramsay Healthcare
“The hospital was required to conduct a clinical assessment for each patient prior to transfer or discharge,” the spokesperson said The Western Australian.
Parts of the hospital are closed, as are parts of the emergency department, forcing ambulances to divert to nearby Fiona Stanley Hospital and Rockingham General Hospital.
The audit, conducted by the South Metropolitan Health Service, also found that three of the hospital’s four operating rooms were at risk and operations had to be halted.
Some patients were wheeled out of the hospital and taken on a stretcher to a waiting Critical Transport Team vehicle.
According to Healthline, black mold, which can refer to several different types of mold, can cause allergies, cause respiratory distress and is particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems.
Mr Wright said a ‘national expert response team’ made up of clinical experts and engineers had been brought in to begin remedial work ‘immediately’.
“We have performed an initial disinfection of the air conditioning system, including the air handling units, and are awaiting feedback from the Environmental Health Unit on any further steps we need to take,” he said.
“Once we have approval, we will implement a broader, comprehensive cleaning regimen, including disinfecting the rest of the affected areas of the hospital.”
The mold was found Thursday, but patients were still being evacuated more than 24 hours later on Saturday afternoon (pictured is Peel Health Campus)
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the situation was being treated with “an abundance of caution”.
“Our information is that this has not affected anyone’s health,” she said.
“But of course the hospital has vulnerable patients, so we treat it very seriously. We’re pretty sure it’s in and within the bounds of those 32 patients that need to be moved.”
The displaced patients have been transferred to Hollywood Private Hospital in Nedlands, Attadale Rehabilitation Hospital, Glengarry Private Hospital in Duncraig, Joondalup Health Campus and Joondalup Private Hospital.
On Saturday morning, as patients began to be evacuated, hundreds of residents attended a community forum nearby to discuss concerns that one of the region’s busiest hospitals was unsafe.
As the evacuation of patients began, hundreds of residents attended a community forum nearby to discuss concerns that one of the region’s busiest hospitals was unsafe (pictured)
WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam (right) and MP Andrew Hastie (left) addressed the forum
A nurse, Bev Ramsay, told those in attendance that there had been a lot of maintenance issues lately.
“Last year we had a big leak in the theater and it went right through the HEPA filter,” said Ms Ramsay.
Liberal leader Libby Mettam slammed the McGowan government for not putting more resources into health care.
“Yesterday we heard about nurses working 24-hour shifts,” she said.
‘Nowadays patients are diverted from Peel Health Campus. This is simply unforgivable.
“Our state records the largest boom in WA history. And yet we see these poor health outcomes overseen by the McGowan government.”