Kai Tak Hospital began phased opening yesterday (Oct. 5), with the integrated family medicine centre the first service to come into operation. All 350 general outpatient quotas on the first day were fully taken up, and patients described the process as quick and smooth. The hospital said dozens of service ambassadors were arranged to answer questions on the first day, and operations were largely smooth. A patient who mistakenly went to Kai Tak Hospital for a blood test was provided with the service at the hospital's discretion.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau tested the route at noon yesterday, taking the MTR from Admiralty and then a bus to Kai Tak Hospital. He said the hospital is conveniently accessible and understood that residents need time to adapt. He stressed that once Kai Tak Hospital is in service, it will optimize the overall layout of acute hospitals in Kowloon and help meet rising healthcare demand. He expects Kai Tak Hospital's daily outpatient volume to rise to nearly 2,000 by the end of this year.
Kai Tak Hospital started phased opening yesterday and is expected to be fully operational by 2028. Services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital will gradually move to Kai Tak Hospital. In the first phase, the hospital has opened the Integrated Family Medicine Centre on the first floor of the Block 4 Specialist Outpatient Building, providing 350 consultation quotas daily in the initial period.
Many residents arrived at Kai Tak Hospital as early as 8 am yesterday to register. Mr. Lau, who lives in Tai Wai, had booked a consultation yesterday. The doctor spent about eight minutes seeing him, after which he went to the pharmacy to collect medicine. After paying, he waited about eight minutes before getting his medicine. He described the hospital equipment as new and clean, with clear signs along the way, and said staff proactively reminded and assisted patients. Mr. Wong booked a 9 am consultation yesterday and completed the whole process, including collecting medicine, in about half an hour. He described it as quick and smooth and praised Kai Tak Hospital's pleasant environment, saying he did not feel nervous even inside the hospital.
Dr. Eric Cheung, Hospital Chief Executive (HCE) of Kai Tak Hospital, said yesterday that the hospital's operations were largely smooth on the first morning. One or two patients mistakenly went to Kai Tak Hospital for blood tests, and the hospital handled them at its discretion and provided the service. Dozens of service ambassadors were arranged to answer questions from residents.
Specialist outpatient services to be added from Oct. 26
The hospital plans to add specialist outpatient services on Oct. 26. Some existing cases in surgery, neurosurgery, and oncology will be transferred to Kai Tak Hospital, with an expected 500 follow-up visits per day. Internal medicine will move to Kai Tak Hospital on Nov 12, and by the end of the year, about 1,800 follow-up visits are expected to be handled at Kai Tak Hospital daily.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau inspected Kai Tak Hospital yesterday afternoon. He tested the route from Admiralty by MTR to Kai Tak Station and then transferred to the newly added bus route 22S to Kai Tak Hospital, taking about 50 minutes in total. He said that with Kai Tak Hospital now in service, the layout is better for the whole of Kowloon Central and indeed the whole of Kowloon. He stressed that services will be relocated progressively, with some specialist outpatient and allied health services to be added in about two to three weeks, aiming to increase outpatient service volume to nearly 2,000 in a short time.
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