Shorter waits as Kwong Wah beefs up A&E

Kwong Wah Hospital's new 24-hour accident and emergency department - which is 2.6 times larger than the current one - opens tomorrow with shorter waiting times promised.

The new department covers about 6,400 square meters and is equipped with a number of facilities that the old ward lacked, including CT scanners, an infection control quarantine area and a 40-bed ward - all features to shorten waiting times.

There are also five operating rooms for emergency situations.

Chan Tung-ning, Kwong Wah's chief of service for accidents and emergencies, said: "There will be medical staff at the ward before 7.30am tomorrow to take in patients with urgent needs."

But other patients will at the beginning be directed to the old ward if their needs are not urgent. That ward remains open until the end of tomorrow.

Chan advised walk-in patients not to drive to the ward as its new entrance at Pitt Street - a change from Waterloo Road - does not have any parking space. But there are five ambulance slots.

The procedure flow also changes.

"Walk-in patients will wait at the waiting area in chairs, and patients in need of wheelchairs and wheeled beds will go into cubicles," Chan said.

A&E operations manager Fanny Leung added that the waiting area can accommodate 30 beds at a minimum - and up to 60 if necessary.

"There are also around 70 chairs, so patients can wait with families and friends," she added.

Hospital chief executive Tang Kam-shing said: "The A&E ward will be a short-stay high-turnover ward, with increased manpower and enhanced functions, so patients don't have to be admitted to an inpatient ward for body checks."

Tang said the new ward has an electronic system to show a patient's medical history, allergies and general drug profile, which will hopefully improve patient safety.

"In the busy environment of an A&E ward physical notes can get lost among nurses and doctors," he said. "Sometimes only nurses get the patient's drug history while doctors don't."

Tang also pointed out: "Although we will have a larger service capacity please remember we are still at a Covid peak."

lorraine.chiang@singtaonewscorp.com