17-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
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.
