Hong Kong Children’s Hospital has temporarily suspended its services at its ear, nose and throat department due to a manpower crunch, the city’s Hospital Authority has confirmed, adding more than 500 patients had been referred to other public medical institutions.
The department’s services had been provided by a team comprising an associate consultant, a resident and a part-time consultant but only one member was currently still working.
“One is sick and another has resigned,” an authority spokesman explained, adding ear, nose and throat services at the hospital in Kai Tak had been affected since November.
More than 500 patients, including those who were under other specialists, had been referred to services provided by other public hospitals with bookings arranged, the spokesman said.
The authority’s Kowloon Central Cluster would coordinate and provide help to patients from the hospital who required medical treatment or emergency surgeries, he added.
“The Hospital Authority is deeply sorry for the inconvenience and worries caused to the young patients and parents, and it expects that the services at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital will resume after the manpower situation is improved,” he said.
