Author Archives: hksar gov

     â€‹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. read more

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (March 22) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 10 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $2.2 million.

     A male passenger, aged 47, arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected cannabis buds inside his check-in suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.

     Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).

  

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced toda… read more

     The Transport Department today (March 23) reminded members of the public that the 49th round of computer ballot registration for submitting applications for Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles (the scheme) will be open from 10a… read more

     The Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank, which has recruited over 100 eligible donors and collected more than 300 litres of milk since launching in January, has begun a second phase, offering donated milk to newborns in need at all nine of the Hospital Authority’s Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
 
     News.gov.hk spoke to a representative from the milk bank to find out about its operations, while a young mother reflected on how her experience of breastfeeding her own son inspired her to become a donor.

     The story is available at www.news.gov.hk/eng/feature from today (March 23) in text and video format. read more