Turn challenges into opportunities

Central Government-aided Emergency Hospital Team
New Territories East Cluster / Hospital Authority Head Office

The Central Government-aided Emergency Hospital (CGAEH) commenced service last year, providing a range of radiological diagnostic services, endoscopy and microbiology services, etc. for non-emergency patients in stable condition, easing their waiting times significantly. Patients are reassured at being able to receive earlier diagnosis and treatment. “Happy patients mean happy staff. It is a win-win situation.” The Team says.

Built to help cope with COVID-19, the CGAEH in Lok Ma Chau was taken over by the Hospital Authority (HA) in early 2023, giving the New Territories East Cluster and the HA Head Office the opportunity to transform it into a centre for ambulatory care in the space of just three months. CGAEH provides Computed Tomography (CT) scans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, ultrasound scans, endoscopy and microbiology services, and sleep tests in phases. Suitable patients are invited to participate on a voluntary basis. Most participants are able to obtain services within two to three months, and more than 33,000 patients have benefited from different types of services as at mid-March this year. Patients who are not on the list could also be benefited from the shortened queue.

“Patients have nothing but praise for the services. It is crucial for them to have a choice,” a spokesperson for the CGAEH Team says, adding that the rush to open the hospital on time was the biggest challenge with team members determined not to lose a single day of service. They worked closely with government departments and clusters, guaranteed private and public sector deployment and ensured patient safety. Everyone involved went the extra miles for the benefits of patients. Above all, the Team turned challenges into opportunities, using existing outpatient and inpatient equipment and facilities to provide patient-centred care, for instance, deploying dedicated vehicles to operate between the CGAEH and MTR stations. “The specialisation in CGAEH has created a new service model which serves as a reference for the future implementation of ambulatory care.” The Team is continuing to pursue its goal to take more referrals from all clusters to benefit patients across Hong Kong and – in its latest initiative – will offer vitamin D analysis for patients suspected to be vitamin D deficient or to have hypervitaminosis D.

Team List