Broken examination table during eye test becomes latest safety incident at Hong Kong hospitals
Hong Kong Free Press
An examination tabletop was broken during an eye test at the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) on Wednesday, leaving a patient with slight injuries to their hands and knee. It is the latest safety incident at the city’s public hospitals.
The table broke during an intraocular pressure examination at the PWH Eye Centre, according to a statement released by the Hospital Authority on Wednesday night. The staff and patient immediately sought to prevent the testing device from falling, as other staff stepped in to assist.
After the incident, the patient’s knee and hand, and a staff member’s knee, sustained “slight redness” which was confirmed to be “not serious after [an] examination.”
The hospital investigated the incident and confirmed that staff had used the equipment appropriately. The examination table had been in use for over a decade.
Quality of materials
“It is initially suspected that the incident was related to the quality of the tabletop materials,” a spokesperson for the Hospital Authority said.
The hospital suspended the use of the same batch of examination tables and instructed the supplier to inspect all devices of the same model at the hospital “as soon as possible.”
“PWH was very concerned about the incident and immediately explained the incident to the patient and staff concerned. The hospital has expressed sympathy and will offer assistance to them,” said the spokesperson.
The hospital reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advanced Incident Reporting System.
Latest incident
It is not the first incident relating to medical equipment at public hospitals this year.
In mid-February, a surgical light attached to a ceiling came loose in an operating theatre at United Christian Hospital, injuring a staff member. Investigations showed that screws in the “main post of the concerned surgical light” were “all broken,” the Hospital Authority said.
In March, the Hospital Authority apologised after slabs of concrete fell from the ceiling of a consultation room in Kwai Chung Hospital. Days earlier, authorities said a ceiling hoist used to lift patients in a rehabilitation ward at Tuen Mun Hospital had fallen. There were no injuries.
Public hospitals are also facing staff shortages. The attrition rate of public hospital medics in Hong Kong continues to rise, with nurses recording the most severe shortages. It is despite a number of initiatives to attract and retain talent at the city’s overloaded hospitals.
In the 12 months leading up to the end of April, 2,925 nurses left the public hospital system, the Hospital Authority announced at a press conference on June 29. Only 2,467 were hired, leaving 458 unfilled vacancies.
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