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Thomas Chan

Mary Rafferty
The chief executive of one of Hong Kong's most renowned private hospitals, who also led a popular annual fundraising event, has died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 53.
Mary Rafferty, who became the first woman to lead the Matilda International Hospital on The Peak, was travelling abroad when she died in her sleep on April 15.
Describing Rafferty as a "charming, soft-spoken and elegant" woman, the hospital's board of governors and staff praised her drive and foresight. They credited her with helping turn the hospital, founded in 1907, into a world-class facility.
"Staff resonated with her as a compassionate leader, driven in her commitment to provide the best of care for all patients," the hospital said on its website.
Born in Northern Ireland, Rafferty, the eldest of seven children, is survived by her husband, Dr Michael Goodlet.
The hospital commended Rafferty as someone always willing to take on a challenge and who achieved many firsts. She trained in nursing and midwifery in Belfast before working in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.
She joined the Matilda in 1995 and became its first woman chief executive three years later. She was credited with working "tirelessly" to make the Matilda one of the first private hospitals in the city to adopt clinical governance and quality accreditation.
Rafferty always had her patients at heart, said acting chief executive Linda Burgoyne.
"Believing patients needed a calming, healing environment to enhance recovery, she paid great attention to detail, from the colour the hospital was painted - an exact shade of pink sourced from Japan - to eliminating the smells associated with hospitals," Burgoyne said.
Besides managing the hospital, Rafferty also dedicated her time to helping underprivileged people as chairwoman of the Sedan Chair Charities Fund.
The annual Sedan Chair Race, with people dressed up as film and cartoon characters carrying sedan chairs from the hospital around The Peak, raises millions of dollars for charity.
Rafferty's funeral took place in Northern Ireland yesterday. A memorial service will be held in Hong Kong at St John's Cathedral on May 20.
Additional reporting by Thomas Chan


Tributes as Mary Rafferty, 'tireless' CEO of Matilda Hospital, dies aged 53

Mary Rafferty was the first woman to lead the Matilda International Hospital on The Peak.

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Hong Kong

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Former nurse and midwife also led popular Sedan Chair Race fundraiser on The Peak


The chief executive of one of Hong Kong's most renowned private hospitals, who also led a popular annual fundraising event, has died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 53.
