The emergency department at the busy QEII Health Sciences Center in Halifax was damaged Sunday after a sprinkler was activated.

A release from the Nova Scotia Health Authority says following an investigation into the damage, it was determined that some areas would take several weeks to repair.

The statement did not say whether the damage would impact the delivery of care at the Halifax Infirmary. He said patients with urgent health concerns should not hesitate to go to the emergency room or call 911.

An internal Nova Scotia Health memo obtained by CBC says “several patient assessment and psychiatric emergency rooms have suffered water damage and cannot be used.” Due to flooding, the rooms would be out of service for several weeks.

Kevin Whittaker was in the emergency room Wednesday and said the sprinkler problem appeared to be causing delays in providing care to patients.

“I’ve heard some nurses talking about it because they seem very upset about what’s going on and they’re not talking to any of the patients about it,” Whittaker said.

“I know the staff are very frustrated and they have been great, but they seem really overworked.”

Whittaker said a nurse told him a patient got upset in his room Sunday and broke the sprinkler.

He said a doctor eventually came and announced there was a major problem they were facing in an emergency and there might be delays.

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