A cockroach infestation has caused the partial closing down of a maternity unit at Rochdale Infirmary, Greater Manchester, England. Until the unit is fumigated, say officials, patients will be treated at Fairfield Hospital, Bury.
New mothers had to be crammed into a temporary six-bed service in the children’s ward when the infestation was spotted. The playroom in the pediatric unit is being used for storage while the fumigation takes place.
Cockroaches can spread diseases, such as salmonella, some viruses including polio.
It is expected that the unit, which is earmarked for closure, will be shut down for about one week. In August, Health Secretary, Alan Johnson had reiterated plans to shut down the maternity unit in a shake-up of local hospital services.
According to an article in The Daily Mail the Infirmary had been forced to stop admitting patients a few days earlier because of staff shortages.
According to a spokesman for Rochdale Infirmary, as the maternity unit is being fumigated it had to be temporarily closed. He added that swift action was taken as soon as the problem was discovered, and that everybody is working as hard as they can to get the unit reopened as soon as possible. It is hoped the unit will be functioning normally this weekend.
— Rochdale Infirmary is part of the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Written by: Christian Nordqvist