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Associated Press - November 4, 2009 7:34 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) - A spokeswoman for Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki says in-patient surgeries a troubled VA hospital in southern Illinois should resume in the spring.
Katie Roberts says the procedures at the Marion VA Medical Center will resume after the hospital's surgery department is fully staffed. A general surgeon and anesthesiologist were recently hired, and a second surgeon is expected to start this month.
Roberts made the assertion after Shinseki met today with members of Illinois' congressional delegation and Gov. Pat Quinn.
The meeting came two days after the VA Inspector General issued a report saying there still are problems at the hospital two years after major surgeries were halted because of a spike in deaths. It shows inconsistencies with reporting deaths and problems with patient safety, including surgeons performing procedures they weren't authorized to do.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says the ongoing problems are inexcusable and unacceptable.
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