New Accident and Emergency Department commences at Kwong Wah Hospital on Wednesday (with photo)

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) announced today (May 29) that the Phase 1 building of the Hospital's Redevelopment Project has been completed. Following the commencement of services in phases in late April this year, the new Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department will open at 7.30am this Wednesday (May 31) to provide a more comprehensive 24-hour emergency medical care to patients.
 
     Patients seeking A&E service must pay particular attention to the entrance and the drop-off point to the new A&E Department of KWH, which will be relocated from Waterloo Road to Pitt Street.
 
     The Hospital Chief Executive of KWH, Dr Tang Kam-shing, said, "The area of the new A&E Department is nearly 2.6 times larger than that of the existing Department, reaching 6 400 square metres, and an additional Emergency Medicine Ward, isolation areas for infection control and 24-hour computerised tomography (CT) scan service are newly provided. The average daily attendance is around 300 at present. The capacity and facilities of the new A&E Department have been further enhanced, which can streamline the consultation process. The number of consultation rooms will increase once the new A&E Department commences service. Together with the newly added Emergency Medicine Ward, it will help improve patient's waiting situation."
 
     The Chief of Service (Accident & Emergency) of KWH, Dr Chan Tung-ning, said, "Upon the service commencement of the new A&E Department, it is believed that it will help strengthen the overall A&E services of the Kowloon Central Cluster."
 
     In line with the development of "Smart Hospital", eAED and In Patient Medication Order Entry (IPMOE) will be implemented in the new A&E Department of KWH. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the electronic systems in the new A&E Department, the two systems have been put into a trial run in the existing A&E since late April.
 
     Upon the opening of the new A&E Department, the existing A&E located on the ground floor of the East Wing will be closed. KWH has notified the Fire Services Department and various public transport operators of the relevant arrangements and has put up notices at the Yau Ma Tei MTR Station and the main streets in the vicinity of the hospital to remind the public of the date and time of the relocation of the A&E Department. The information of relocation arrangement has also been uploaded to the hospital's website for the public to browse and obtain the latest information. For enquiries, the public can call 3517 5220 during office hours.