Kai Tak Hospital starts first phase of operations, treats 300 patients on day 1

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Hospital launched its first phase of operations, treating nearly 300 patients at its family medicine centre on Monday morning, with the daily number projected to reach 1,800 by the end of the year.

While some patients expressed satisfaction about the service, lawmakers called for more frequent connecting transport services and better publicity on transit options.

Positioned to become Hong Kong’s largest public hospital once fully operational, Kai Tak Hospital opened its Family Medicine Integrated Centre on Monday for treating patients with stable chronic conditions and mild one-off illnesses.

Patients began arriving at the specialist outpatient clinic block from 8.30am, while dozens of volunteers in blue vests were stationed along the way to direct them.

Out of the 350 daily consultation appointments available at the centre, more than 290 were booked by Monday morning, according to Dr Eric Cheung Fuk-chi, the hospital’s chief executive.

He reported “smooth” operations, although a few patients had mistakenly arrived for blood tests.

“The relocation of services at Kai Tak Hospital [from Queen Elizabeth Hospital] is the largest hospital relocation project in Hong Kong’s history, so it will be carried out in a phased manner,” he said.

Cheung said specialist outpatient services would be added on October 26, after which neurosurgery and some oncology patients would also be able to receive services. He expected about 500 patients daily by then.

On November 12, the department of medicine, the hospital’s biggest specialty division, will begin operations. Cheung said the number of patients seen daily would reach 1,800 by the end of the year.

On Monday morning, a Tai Wai resident surnamed Lau praised the public transport to the hospital, saying he had a better experience at Kai Tak Hospital compared with his previous clinic.

“Everything was well-organised and orderly. Apart from the directional signs, there were also a lot of staff and security guards around the hospital who came to greet me and ask if they could help,” Lau said.

Hossain Chowdhury Shamimara, a housewife in her fifties who had also been transferred to Kai Tak Hospital, complimented the hospital environment for its spaciousness and for the smooth and punctual service she received.

“I’ve also been to Queen Elizabeth Hospital before, that’s also good, but not an open place. This one is open, with a lot of lighting and windows, and the staff are also very nice.”

A total of 10 franchised bus routes and six green minibus routes currently connect directly to the hospital from districts across Kowloon.

The hospital is also well served by the MTR network. At Kai Tak MTR station, the closest station, additional road signs were installed along the route from inside the station to the bus interchange outside Airside shopping centre.

A walk between the station and the interchange by a South China Morning Post reporter took five minutes.

The connecting ride on a new bus route 22S took the reporter 12 minutes to travel from Airside to the hospital, although the service was still not yet listed on the Google Maps app.

Speaking on a radio programme on Monday, lawmaker Kitson Yang Wing-kit expressed concern that many residents still did not know how to travel to Kai Tak Hospital and called on the institution to step up publicity on transit options.

He called on authorities to increase the frequency of transport services connecting different districts with Kai Tak Hospital, so residents would not have to wait longer than 10 to 15 minutes for a bus or train.

Lawmaker David Lam Tzit-yuen said on the same programme that the opening of the hospital would lead to a more balanced distribution of medical resources across Kowloon Central and Kowloon East, making healthcare far more accessible for residents in Kowloon East.