Kwong Wah spirit shines through in successful commissioning

Operation “New KWH” Squad
Kwong Wah Hospital

Commissioning of the Phase 1 Building of the Redevelopment Project of Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) has been completed last year, the Team behind the commissioning of KWH looks back fondly on a delicate operation to move tiny patients from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to a new building, “we had to transfer eight critically ill newborns to the new building,” a team member recalls. “The infants in the incubators were the size of your palm, and my colleagues practised the route of the move over and over because there was no margin for error. On the day of the relocation, each newborn was escorted by a team of senior colleagues throughout the journey, and they all arrived safely. The emotion of that achievement is beyond words.”

The successful transfer was the result of the collective efforts of all staff. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we had spent several years preparing for a smooth commissioning. We set up 11 working groups in 2020 to coordinate staff in a race against time to manage the transition of patient services, facilities testing and commissioning, equipment installation and functional test, and business supporting services, all of which were incredibly intricate tasks,” the team member says. “Through it all, we had only one goal in mind – to ensure the safe and successful commissioning of the Phase 1 Building.”

Services have had to be transferred while ensuring that existing services are not disturbed and that the new building is fully functional. The Team says colleagues have a strong sense of belonging to the hospital and have planned for a vast range of different scenarios to avoid emergencies, reflecting the unique Kwong Wah spirit.

“KWH is the first public hospital in Hong Kong to introduce 5G private network to meet the corporate direction of the development of smart hospitals,” the team member says. “We plan to provide an increased level of ambulatory care services in the coming future, providing more diversified day services to cope with the ageing population and an increasing number of patients with chronic diseases.” Construction work on the second phase of the redevelopment has begun and, while many more challenges undoubtedly lie ahead, the redevelopment project is opening the door to a future full of opportunity and possibility, and it is important for colleagues to stand united.

Team List