Govt to amend Prisons Ordinance for custodial ward at new Kai Tak Hospital

The Hong Kong government is set to amend the Prisons Ordinance to facilitate the establishment of a dedicated custodial ward within the New Acute Hospital at the Kai Tak Development Area. This new facility is slated to commence operations in phases starting from the fourth quarter of this year.

In documents submitted to the Legislative Council by the Security Bureau and other government departments on Thursday, the relevant legislative instruments will be introduced under the negative vetting procedure.

They will be gazetted on Friday, submitted to the Legislative Council on April 22, and are tentatively scheduled to take effect on June 12.

Under the proposal, before the custodial ward in the new hospital is brought into operation, it will be placed within the legal framework of the Prisons Ordinance.

Lawmaker Kitson Yang Wing-kit affirmed the necessity of this legislative adjustment. He highlighted that services currently provided at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, including accident and emergency and specialist care, will eventually relocate to Kai Tak Hospital.

Since detained and incarcerated patients presently receive treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a custodial ward at the new facility is crucial to ensure the continuous and appropriate medical care for this group.

He added that designating facilities through gazette orders is an established and efficient arrangement that avoids lengthy legislative processes.

Separately, the documents also include a proposal to update the Immigration Service (Designated Places) Order to formally designate the Kai Tak Hospital custodial ward as a location for holding persons arrested by immigration officers.

The government has stated that these modifications are procedural in nature and thus do not necessitate public consultation. They also affirmed that the arrangements fully comply with the Basic Law, including its provisions on human rights.

The new hospital is a full-service acute hospital with 2,400 inpatient and day beds, 37 operating theaters, and a wide range of services, including a neuroscience center, oncology center, specialist outpatient clinics, family medicine center, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and dental services, as well as a helipad.

It is designed to meet rising healthcare demand in Kowloon driven by population growth and aging, using modern service models and advanced technology.