Hunt for Hong Kong tuberculosis patient who bolted from isolation ward in Kowloon Hospital
- Patient, who is about 1.64 metres tall and of thin build, ran from male ward on January 2 and has not been seen since
- Hospital security guards chased man but to no avail
The Hospital Authority is looking into how a tuberculosis patient under isolation was able to escape from his ward, Hong Kong’s health chief said.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said on Saturday that a search was under way for a 56-year-old man who absconded from Kowloon Hospital in Mong Kok on Wednesday.
“The Hospital Authority has reported the incident to police and we will inform everyone once we are able to find him,” Chan said.
“Any patient receives appropriate treatment and is looked after. As for this special case, we are currently looking into it.”
The patient, about 1.64 metres (5 foot 4 inches) tall and of thin build, was admitted to a male ward of the department of respiratory medicine in Kowloon Hospital for treatment of “open” tuberculosis – where tubercle bacilli are present in the excretions or secretions – and was under isolation watch.
He took off on January 2, with hospital security guards chasing after him, but in vain.