Hospital patient burned after fire starts in surgical theatre
The Joan Kirner Women's and Children's Hospital at Sunshine is a virus exposure site. Photo: Facebook/Western Health
A 72-year-old woman has suffered burns after a fire ignited while she was undergoing a procedure in a Melbourne hospital surgical theatre.
The blaze at Sunshine Hospital began when medical equipment malfunctioned just after 9am on Monday.
It was contained by staff and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.
The Melbourne hospital is run by Western Health, which said it was investigating the cause of the accident.
The health service’s chief medical officer Paul Eleftheriou described it as a “tragic incident”.
The woman was taken from Sunshine, in Melbourne’s west, to The Alfred hospital, in the city’s inner-east.
“The patient, who suffered burns injuries, was treated immediately at Sunshine Hospital before being transferred to a specialist burns unit,” Dr Eleftheriou said.
“Our thoughts are with the patient and their family. Western Health is offering support to the family.”
The woman was in a critical but stable condition at The Alfred shortly after 1.30pm.
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