Wed | Oct 15, 2025

Mouldy MESS

Sanitisation underway at 250-y-o KPH as operating theatres remain closed

Published:Tuesday | April 1, 2025 | 5:53 PMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
The Kingston Public Hospital in downtown Kingston.

The presence of mould in the four main operating theatres of the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) is one factor delaying their reopening after a malfunctioning air-conditioning (AC) system forced their closure more than a month ago.

Dr Natalie Whylie, senior medical officer at KPH, told The Gleaner the hospital is currently engaging in critical repairs to the infrastructure in the operating theatres which will also include mould sanitisation.

“Parts and parcel of that work is treating any mould that is there at the end of the works,” she said. “At the end of the works, we are correlating with the public health team of the Kingston and St Andrew Health Department to ensure that all infection, prevention and control standards are met and the theatres will be reopened at the end of that.”

The four operating theatres at the island’s premier trauma hospital have been out of service since February.

While stating that the air handling unit has since been fixed, Whylie said that mould became a “challenge” during the periods when the AC system was out of service.

“Because the operating theatres, they were not cooling effectively and the humidity was high, then during the time when the AC unit was out of service there were some challenges with mould,” she said.

Exposure to the fungus and can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals and cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, coughing, headaches and memory loss.

The current concerns come on the heels of a recent mould assessment report on the almost 250-year-old hospital which revealed high levels of mould contamination in its urology, orthopaedics and surgical area.

The inspection was commissioned by the hospital’s administration and was conducted on October 25 last year. It focused on detecting wall cracks, signs of moisture intrusion, water stains, moisture blistering, musty odours, and any visible mould growth across various sections of the facility.

CONTINUED MONITORING

While noting that “the majority of the areas inspected were found to be in good condition”, the report, dated November 4, 2024, also revealed high levels of contamination in the indoor of the key outpatient areas.

“Additionally, a few sections of the building had missing ceiling tiles, and some ceiling tiles exhibited visible watermarks, suggesting previous or ongoing moisture problems. These findings highlight the need for continued monitoring and potential remediation to address the moisture issues and prevent future mould growth,” the report stated.

The assessors recommended comprehensive mould cleaning, decontamination, and air purification in all affected areas and surrounding rooms, along with ongoing air quality monitoring.

Additionally, they suggested conducting environmental mould sampling in selected areas a month after remediation to track progress and ensure effective mould control.

Acknowledging the report, Whylie said the mould contamination was due to ageing of the facility, and repairs that were needed on the installation ductwork of the AC unit.

She however said this particular mould issue has since been addressed.

“We would have repaired air-conditioning ducting in those areas and the areas were cleaned. A mould specialist was brought in twice to address the concerns regarding the mould in those outpatient clinic areas,” she said.

However, she said the hospital continues to have challenges with the AC system in those areas, and as a result teams have not been returned to those spaces yet.

“But we are working with the contracted service provider to ensure that the necessary repairs that are needed to bring back the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) system up to full operations – for temperature and humidity in those areas,” she said.

While she was unable to provide a specific date for the reopening of the operating theatres at KPH, she said surgeries have been relocated to the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, the University Hospital of the West Indies, and the Bustamante Hospital for Children in the interim.

“The operating theatre is used seven days a week, 365 days for the year. They are elective lists that are planned Monday to Friday, and, as you know, this is the Kingston Public Hospital so there are emergencies that are taking place at all times,” she said, emphasising the volume of surgeries that had to be relocated.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com