​In response to media enquiries about water seepage from the ceiling of an operating theatre at CUHK Medical Centre (CUHKMC) during an operation, the Department of Health (DH) today (March 23) gave the following reply:
The DH received a media enquiry on March 21 about water seepage from the ceiling of an operating theatre at CUHKMC and immediately contacted CUHKMC to investigate and follow up on the incident.
It was noted that the hospital had conducted an eye surgery on a patient on March 10 and, towards the end of the surgery, water started dripping from the ceiling towards the end of the operating table. The hospital staff immediately used a cloth to stop the dripping and at the same time covered the patient's head and surgical instruments with a sterile surgical drape. The surgery was completed uneventfully. So far, the patient's condition has been stable and no complications have been reported.
The hospital has immediately suspended the use of the operating theatre in question and has identified the source of the water seepage. Repair work has been conducted.
The DH regulates licensed private hospitals in accordance with the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap.633) (the Ordinance), and monitors their compliance with the Ordinance, conditions of licence and the Code of Practice for Private Hospitals (CoP), which sets out licensing standards related to the operation of private hospitals, including relevant requirements for facilities, equipment and arrangements for responding to emergencies. Private hospitals are required to notify the DH on reportable events in accordance with the CoP, namely sentinel events, serious untoward events and other reportable events (such as events of public health significance, serious incidents affecting the operation of the hospital, and unusual clustering of communicable diseases etc).
While the water seepage incident is not a reportable event under the CoP, for the sake of prudence, the DH has requested the hospital concerned to submit an investigation report. The DH will assess the findings of the investigation and the actions taken by the hospital, and take appropriate follow-up actions to prevent recurrence of similar incidents and enhance protection of patient safety.
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