Hong Kong's private hospitals must also be transparent
Private hospitals are a relatively expensive option in most communities, and patients usually expect better services than in public facilities. So, it is understandable that Hong Kong's private hospitals are feeling some heat after a worrying mechanical failure at one institution was made public months after it happened.
Health authorities have been asked to review incident report guidelines after the 45-minute air-conditioning breakdown at St Teresa's Hospital on July 31 last year when a circuit breaker to the cooling system for the private hospital's operating theatres was tripped.
The incident affecting 12 operations came to light last week when surgeon Dr Liu Chi-leung recalled a 'catastrophic scene' as he was doing a procedure. He described condensation dripping from surgical lights, staff using umbrellas to keep away potentially contaminated water and an endoscope affected by the humidity.
St Teresa's has confirmed the outage, but it said the issue was 'not a reportable item' under Department of Health rules. Fortunately, none of the patients suffered infections and the hospital has stepped up monitoring of the system with monthly checks instead of every half year. But serious questions remain about transparency and how health authorities have responded to a private sector issue.
Under the department's Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, serious medical incidents and mistakes, including non-clinical issues such as water or electric supply cuts, must be reported to authorities.
The Society of Community Organisation said a cooling system fault in a clinical setting, like the July incident, should have been reported. The patients' rights group called for clearer guidelines.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Symbol of hope': LGBTQ Singaporeans to seal stories of love inside time capsule
When healthcare worker V first met his partner E, a researcher, in 2000 they instantly clicked and began their relationship that spanned a little over 20 years. At the time, homosexuality was still an offence in Singapore but V, who is now in his late 40s and spoke on condition of anonymity, told This Week in Asia they were happy enjoying food, travel and what he described as 'quiet activism' in the city state. To commemorate the second year of their relationship, he gifted E matching wedding bands but soon after, E lost his ring while he was at the gym. They later celebrated their fifth, 10th and 15th anniversaries with different rings. E was diagnosed with chest cancer in 2017 and died in 2020. The colonial law criminalising gay sex between men in Singapore would be struck off the books only in 2023. V has decided to submit his second anniversary ring to LGBTQ non-profit Pink Dot, which will mark its annual pride event on June 28 with a time capsule containing objects from the community that will be opened in 2050. 'I hope whoever reads this in 25 years' time will know that love is love and has and will last for years to come,' V said.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Microplastics from biodegradable material may be linked to diabetes, study finds
Microplastics from a widely used biodegradable material can enter the metabolic cycle of bacteria and cells in the gut after being ingested, a new study has found. Researchers in China and the United States said the microplastics – from polylactic acid – were found to alter the gut metabolism and damage the gut barrier of mice. They said this could potentially contribute to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes 'This is the first time in the world that microplastics have been found to enter the body's metabolic cycle,' the study's corresponding author Cui Xuejing, an associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Centre for Nanoscience and Technology, said on Friday. In their paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on May 5, the team wrote: 'Biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) plastics have been praised as an effective solution to the global pollution caused by petroleum-based plastics. 'Their widespread use in food packaging and disposable tableware has resulted in increased oral exposure to PLA microplastics'.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
No time for daily exercise? Being a weekend warrior can have the same health benefits
To maintain good health, the World Health Organization recommends regular exercise – 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of the two, throughout the week. Advertisement Those too strapped for time or without the energy to exercise several times a week may prefer to exercise intensely at weekends, or two or three times a week. This 'weekend warrior' pattern of exercise can be just as beneficial for health as exercise that is spread out over the week, a recent study suggests. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, in the United States, wanted to learn if people who exercised 20 to 30 minutes most days of the week experienced greater benefits than those who went five or six days between longer exercise sessions. They found that concentrating moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in one to two days during the week was associated with a lower risk of developing more than 200 diseases – from cardiovascular and digestive conditions to mental health and neurological illnesses. I love Bear Camp because it works all your muscles. Over the years, I've become stronger and fitter and developed greater stamina Kimberly Kwok, Hong Kong mum and businesswoman, on her weekend workouts And it may be just as effective at decreasing risk as more evenly distributed exercise activity: both weekend warrior and regular physical activity patterns were associated with those substantially lower disease risks.
