Not recorded in medical practice!

THE NIGHT THE HOSPITAL GOT EVACUATED

By all looks, the only hospital which was evacuated in times of peace is – The Hospital in Subotica! It was evacuated together with the nearby Children’s Home “Kolevka” and the population of this area of town on the night between Thursday and Friday on 29th and 30th June 1989. The incident occurred due to the malfunction on the valves of the nearby gas drilling site, out of which natural gas started leaking. Local newspapers reported that the greatest miracle is that nobody panicked that night, not even half an hour before midnight when the hospital evacuation started. In 60 minutes the Hospital was nearly empty, and since by that time the gas leakage was contained the remaining patients were returned to their rooms.

Let’s just remember that, on that June night, in which the health care workers showed great efficiency, composure and responsibility for the patients, it came to an uncontrollable leakage of natural gas from the drilling site in which Naftagas company was looking for oil, distant only 200 meters from the hospital building. The inhabitants of the surrounding region, as well as those in hospital and the children’s home, heard a strong bang in 9:10 p.m., after which they saw a stream shooting up for which many believed it was water. Only later it was discovered that it was natural gas, which is flammable and explosive.
Head Staff as well as invited doctors and nurses, arrived at the Hospital immediately. They answered the call quickly and were accompanied by other doctors, vehicles and staff from hospitals in Senta, Sombor, Novi Sad, Bačka Topola, Kanjiža, Ada, Vrbas, Kula, Srbobran, Novi Kneževac – which were ready to take patients in emergency need. The Hospital evacuation started around 11:30 p.m. First were evacuated children from the eighth floor. Witnesses to the event said - ‘Everything was proceeding calmly, for what is the most responsible medical staff…’. There were 746 patients in the hospital out of which 172 was immobile. 620 patients left the hospital inside of 60 minutes. Most of them were returned home, while about 200 patients were relocated to the Youth Village on Palić and the hospitals in Novi Sad, Kanjiža, Sombor, Senta i Novi Kneževac.

The town paid respects to the management and all employees of the Medical Center for a immaculately done patient evacuation.

Trouble doesn’t choose the place!

FIRE IN THE SURGICAL WARD

The Town Hospital was plagued by fire on the 21st January 1991. Around 3:45 p.m. fire gushed out of the ventilation shafts and in moments threatened patients and the medical staff on the floor of the surgical block, OR, urology, orthopedics and intensive post-operative care. Due to the calm intervention of the hospital staff, 13 patients were evacuated in record time out of the intensive care unit, and thanks to the quick intervention of the Municipal Fire Department a greater catastrophe was avoided. The fire was subdued in three hours, but there was a lot of material damage because of which hospital worked under strain for the next few months. A large quantity of medication was destroyed and most of the units in OR’s were damaged beyond repair.

However, the reconstruction on the fire damaged part of the building was finished 2 months earlier. It took another few months to get it into its previous condition.

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