Hospital Authority spares no effort to eliminate potential risks in hospital facilities
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The spokesman for the Hospital Authority (HA) said today (March 9) that the HA has commenced proactive operation to inspect the facilities and structures in public hospitals. The inspection is expected to complete within one month. If potential risks are found during the inspection, maintenance staff will arrange prompt repairing so as to ascertain the safety of patients and staff members.
The HA spokesman said, "Inspections are being carried out in different public hospitals now. If there is any potential risk found by the maintenance staff, the hospital facilities or structures concerned may need to be hacked off or removed to enable further inspections or repairs. Maintenance staff will cordon off the areas where patients, staff, and members of the public are advised to stay away and no panic is needed."
The spokesman appeals to the public for their understanding that some public hospital buildings have been in use since the early years with exceptionally high utilisation, where some facilities may be in a relatively dilapidated condition. Maintenance staff will arrange inspection and repair as soon as practicable to ascertain the safety of the structures.
Public hospitals will accord a risk stratification approach to inspect the following facilities with higher risks:
1. All devices suspended at a height of two metres or more;
2. Locations with a history of spalling, high-risk areas (such as wards), water seepage locations, areas affected by engineering vibrations, and locations showing signs of damage; and
3. Hospital exterior walls and elements.
The HA will stringently monitor the inspection works and spare no effort to eliminate potential risks of the facilities and structures in public hospitals. If significant risks are found in the facilities or structures during the inspections, which may pose major threat to patients and staff, the HA will announce them in a timely manner to allay public concerns.
Ends/Thursday, March 9, 2023
Issued at HKT 19:30
Issued at HKT 19:30
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