Problems with the hospital?s sterilisation machine forced the cancellation of elective surgeries yesterday and today.

However, yesterday Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) CEO Joan Dillas-Wright said King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was still able to perform emergency surgeries ? the main concern of one woman who contacted .

?I just think it?s an absolute joke,? she said. ?It makes me very leery to want or need to have surgery here now.?

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said the cancellation of her eye surgery left her wondering what would have happened had she needed emergency surgery.

Originally her surgery had been planned to take place at Christmas. However for various reasons it was unable to go ahead then. ?So we rescheduled, and I couldn?t get it in until tomorrow (Thursday),? she said.

?Then, today (Wednesday), they called with less than 24 hours notice and said the hospital?s sterilisation equipment was malfunctioning.?

Though at the time her doctor gave no further details, the woman said she made further inquiries as the day progressed and was told all surgeries for today had been cancelled as a result of the malfunction.

?It just really frightens me, now even more so, to get anything done here,? she said. ?And what about the poor people who need to get emergency surgery?

The hospital was still able to perform emergency surgeries, said Ms Dillas-Wright yesterday.

?Due to an issue with the quality of the steam supply to our Surgical Department, and in the interest of patient safety, the management at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital has cancelled some elective surgeries originally scheduled for today and tomorrow as a precautionary measure,? she said.

?While some surgeries ? including emergencies ? can be managed, the reduction of the elective surgeries will allow our Facilities Department to correct the problem,?

?We are asking for understanding from those clients who are affected and wish to assure them that their surgeries will be rescheduled in a timely manner.?

?If my doctor had given the recommendation, I would be off the Island in a heartbeat getting surgery,? the anonymous woman said yesterday.

Wary of healthcare on the Island in general, she said she was not among the 64 percent of Bermudians who considered the level of care here either excellent or good, according to a BHB public perception survey. ?I went to a doctor for five years in and out, and every year they kept saying my abnormal cells were OK.

?I went to the States for two weeks and happened to see a doctor there. I was rushed into surgery for cancer.?

She said she was told yesterday that her eye surgery will have to be rescheduled for March or April.

The survey also showed white residents were ?significantly more likely? than black residents to consider the overall quality of healthcare in Bermuda to be favourable.

The number one reason for travelling overseas for health treatment, according to the survey, was for medical treatments not available on the Island (65 percent).

Doctor referrals made up 12 percent, while a lack of confidence in local health care service made up 11 percent. Six percent gave no specific reason for travelling overseas.