A fire suspected to be electrical in origin destroyed an operating room and an excimer laser at the National Ophthalmology Hos-pital in Port Mourant, Corentyne yesterday.
According to information reaching Stabroek News, at around 4am yesterday, hospital staff noticed a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) transformer sparking.
Subsequently, staff told investigators, between 4:30am and 5am, they saw smoke emanating from an operating room – Theatre Room 3 – located on the bottom flat of the medical centre and alerted the GPL emergency crew and the Guyana Fire Service.
The Rose Hall Town fire service responded promptly and began to fight the fire. Patients who were in the building were evacuated to safety. The firemen were later assisted by a crew from the New Amsterdam Fire Service.
Stabroek News was told that the excimer laser, which is used for conducting cataract surgeries,