The new chief of Hong Kong’s public hospitals has vowed to foster a “speak-up” culture among staff as part of efforts to boost patient safety, while expressing hope that one day no one in the organisation will need to be a whistle-blower. Dr Libby Lee Ha-yun, who took office as the Hospital Authority’s chief executive…
The Hospital Authority’s outgoing chief executive has said Hong Kong public hospitals are on the right path in terms of finances, manpower and infrastructure, with his term as the organisation’s top man being a “complete and abundant” experience. Dr Tony Ko Pat-sing, who will retire by the end of the month, described his past six…
Experienced medical administrator Libby Lee Ha-yun will take over as the Hospital Authority’s new chief executive next month, with the doctor pledging to deliver heart-warming service with a human touch at a time when the organisation must carry out far-reaching reforms. Authorities said on Wednesday that Lee, the current undersecretary for health and previously part…
A database of patients’ post-operation wounds and automated medicine dispensing cabinets are among six measures Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority will adopt after a series of medical blunders last year, including one in which a patient found a piece of gauze left in his scrotum two months after surgery. Authority chief executive Dr Tony Ko Pat-sing…
Hong Kong health authorities will relax the eligibility criteria of a fee waiver mechanism at public hospitals, benefiting an extra 1.1 million patients starting in 2026. Under the reform of the public healthcare service subsidy model, non-urgent patients will pay HK$400 (US$52), double the current price of HK$180, at emergency departments, with the collected fees…
Hong Kong authorities want to bring a 10 per cent no-show rate for free radiology services down to zero under a proposal to make residents with non-urgent medical needs pay for certain scans. But the Hospital Authority said on Friday that the proposed co-payment model for radiology services such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic…
Requiring Hongkongers with non-urgent medical needs to pay separate fees for lab tests and scans at public hospitals could lead to abuse of emergency services in the hopes of getting free help, a former health official and a patients’ rights group have warned. Dr Luk Che-chung, a former chief executive of the Hospital Authority’s Hong…
Requiring Hongkongers with non-urgent medical needs to pay separate fees for lab tests and scans at public hospitals could lead to abuse of emergency services in the hopes of getting free help, a former health official and a patients’ rights group have warned. Dr Luk Che-chung, a former chief executive of the Hospital Authority’s Hong…
Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, recently forced to suspend services at the ear, nose and throat (ENT) department, will gradually resume operations in the second half of this year, or as soon as the next quarter “if possible”, as the Hospital Authority’s chief executive said he saw “light in the tunnel” over manpower shortages. Tony Ko…
Hong Kong’s winter flu season is expected to peak in early February, a respiratory disease expert has predicted, with 15 deaths in the second week of January confirmed to be people infected with influenza. David Hui Shu-cheong, a professor of respiratory medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, called for more residents to get…