Woman dies in Hong Kong hospital after 12-hour wait in accident and emergency
Hong Kong Free Press
A Hong Kong woman with chronic illnesses died after passing out in a toilet of a public hospital, where she had spent 12 hours waiting for emergency treatment for her fever and cough.
According to a Hospital Authority statement published late on Monday night, a 58-year-old female patient was found unconscious in a toilet in the accident and emergency room at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. Resuscitation was performed immediately, but she was pronounced dead soon after.
The patient visited the emergency room at around 11 p.m. on Sunday, and was seen by a doctor at 11.15 a.m. on Monday, a spokesperson for Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital said, according to the statement. She was instructed to wait for further check-up, and her condition was considered stable.
Medical staff called for the patient in the waiting area and through the broadcast system at around 12.30 p.m. but she did not respond. They made another broadcast announcement at around 1.45 p.m. and the patient still did not show up.
It was not until 4.30 p.m. when medics discovered the patient in a toilet inside the waiting area of the emergency unit. They performed CPR, and she was pronounced dead at 5.06 p.m.
Local media reported that the hospital met with family members of the patient and offered they deepest condolences. The incident, which came amid reports of long waits at several of the city’s public hospitals, was reported to the Hospital Authority and was transferred to the Coroner’s Court for follow-up.
As of 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday, the emergency room waiting time at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital was over eight hours, the longest among all hospitals in the city.
Support HKFP | Code of Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit, Hong Kong Free Press is #PressingOn with impartial, award-winning, frontline coverage.
