The Ottawa Hospital has loosened a smoking ban and put up shelters for smokers at two of its campuses after the rule aimed at improving health proved hazardous.

Ottawa General's smoking area is only for patients and visitors. Staff must still leave the property.
(CBC)

The hospital said Friday that smoking shelters were built at its General and Civic campuses within the past two months.

The General Hospital's shelter was built because patients were cutting across a busy street to get off hospital property to smoke, said spokeswoman Allison Neill.

"There was a concern for safety of patients and families crossing the ring road … and it was decided that patient safety came first."

Some of the determined smokers dodged the traffic in wheelchairs or while dragging intravenous drips behind them.

The General Hospital's shelter is only for the use of patients and visitors, so staff must still cross the busy street.

Smoking shelters were put up at the Civic Hospital because of neighbours' complaints, Neill added.

"There [were] problems with litter and smokers congregating in front of people's private homes."

A man wearing a hospital wristband prepares to leave one of the smoking shelters built on Ottawa Hospital property during the past two months.
(CBC)

The Civic Hospital shelters are available for staff and patient use.

A complete smoking ban remains in place at the hospital's Riverside campus, which serves mostly outpatients.

The Ottawa Hospital's smoking ban went into effect in June 2006 in an effort to encourage people to quit smoking and the problems were unexpected, the hospital said.