The Navan hospital unit affected by the outbreak of the so-called "superbug" VRE is expected to reopen by next week, according to a senior public health specialist with the North Eastern Health Board.
Dr Peter Finnegan also confirmed that about 100 operations will have been cancelled by the time the orthopaedic unit at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan reopens. Fifty-two operations were cancelled last week and 19 this week.
Four patients have tested positive for the antibiotic-resistant infection since late last month, but only one, a man, remains in isolation. The rest of the hospital, which performs general surgery, as well as elective or planned orthopaedic procedures, is unaffected by the outbreak.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the board said all the recommendations made in the Health Care Risk Report carried out by consultants in Britain for the board have been implemented.
The report had said it was not possible to ascertain if an infection-control policy was being implemented. It also said there was a lack of clean and dirty separation areas in the orthopaedic theatres and that clean and dirty instruments were handled in the same area.
Yesterday the NEHB confirmed that, "the infection control policy at Our Lady's Hospital is being implemented in full. Following the HRRI visit in 2001, a microbiologist was contracted to give advice to Our Lady's Hospital on the issues identified at that time. Plans were drawn up for a TSSU [theatre sterile supplies unit\] and submitted to the DoHC [Department of Health and Children\]."
In the interim, on the advice and direction of the microbiologist /infection control, separate units were put in place within the theatres to allow for a separation of the instruments.