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Whitehorse General Hospital reduces laboratory test capacity due to equipment failure

Monday, 28 April 2025 10:18

By Panebi Wilson X @chonfmpwilson

The hospital is prioritizing urgent needs, focusing on admitted patients, surgeries, and the emergency department, as well as tests for treatments like cancer care and samples from the communities.

Whitehorse General Hospital is currently facing reduced capacity for laboratory tests due to equipment failure. 

According to a Facebook post by Yukon Hospitals on Wednesday, some of the hospital's equipment used to process blood tests has stopped working, resulting in delays for patients undergoing tests and receiving results.

The hospital is prioritizing urgent needs, focusing on admitted patients, surgeries, and the emergency department, as well as tests for treatments like cancer care and samples from the communities. However, non-urgent patients requiring a complete blood count (CBC) test may experience delays until the hematology analyzers are repaired.

This is not the first time the hospital has faced challenges. Just two weeks ago, Whitehorse General postponed some surgeries for four days due to a water leak in its surgical services department. Earlier this year, the hospital also faced issues with cleaning and sterilizing surgical instruments on-site, resulting in postponed surgeries over a two-month period. That issue was resolved on April 2.

Fortunately, the laboratory equipment issue is not expected to impact lab services in Watson Lake or Dawson City. 
 

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