Lead in water at Nový Jičín hospital: maternity ward relocated

Excess levels of lead have been found in the drinking water at the Agel hospital in Nový Jičín. Hospital management informed the Moravian-Silesian Region, which owns the building, and the two sides discussed how to assess the state of the facility, including a possible structural survey, and what to do next.

Who will do what

Talks have only just begun, and according to regional authorities the hospital now has to propose a technical solution. Under the lease, it is responsible for the technical condition and maintenance of the buildings, including the water pipes, and will prepare the design documentation. Michal Kokošek (ANO), the region's deputy governor for investment and property, said the region, as owner, is ready to fund the work, and that the overall aim is to carry out the necessary repairs as quickly as possible.

How the hospital is operating now

Certified filters have been installed in the affected building, and bottled drinking water is being brought in. The hospital has already moved out of most of the building: only some outpatient services and the gynaecology ward remain, where hospitalised patients are also given bottled water and special filters are fitted on the taps. Women in labour are currently being taken in at the neighbouring Agel hospital in Valašské Meziříčí.

According to hospital spokeswoman Miloševská, the arrangement is temporary: around the turn of October and November, women in labour may return to Nový Jičín. New premises are being prepared for the maternity ward in Pavilion 5, where it will occupy one floor. Construction and technical work is under way there now. Moving to more modern premises was part of the hospital's long-term plans, but the water-quality problem sped up the project. About 400 babies were born at the hospital last year.

What the hygiene officials say

Regional hygiene officials are also dealing with the situation and have launched official public health supervision. According to their spokesman Aleš Kotrla, the hospital has taken sufficient measures: it has banned drinking water from the affected pipes, provided patients and staff with alternative drinking arrangements, and put up prominent notices on the taps stating that the water is not fit for drinking.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz