New 17-storey complex at Hong Kong’s Kwong Wah Hospital aimed at cutting waiting time for urgent care
- Complex features an emergency unit 2.6 times bigger than old one and offers 40 ward beds
- Building is part of government’s 10-year effort to capacity of the public healthcare system
A new complex at Hong Kong’s century-old Kwong Wah Hospital will begin offering service at the end of the month, with new ambulatory and emergency facilities that authorities hope will shorten the waiting time for patients seeking urgent care.
The two-phase project at the hospital in Yau Ma Tei is part of a wider 10-year effort to increase the capacity of the public healthcare system through redeveloping and expanding existing healthcare facilities, among other changes. The overhaul was announced in the chief executive’s 2016 policy address.
One of the highlights of the new 17-storey complex, with a combined floor area of 145,000 square metres (1.56 million sq feet), is an accident and emergency unit 2.6 times bigger than the old one and offering 40 ward beds.
“In the past, patients who registered always had to wait due to insufficient space for a doctor’s consultation, especially for non-emergency cases, but with more space and smoother procedures, the situation will improve a lot,” said Dr Tang Kam-shing, chief executive of the hospital.
“With an emergency ward, those who need quick and urgent treatment could be treated there and be discharged quickly, instead of going through the hospital admission procedure.”
Kwong Wah Hospital is the only public medical institution where the accident and emergency department was not designed with a dedicated ward, according to Tang.
