The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     ​Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) today (November 28) reminds members of the public to stay alert to fraudulent calls.
      
     As informed by members of the public, they received calls today claiming to be calling from QMH. There were calls in the form of both pre-recorded messages and in person conversations, requesting the recipients to follow instructions to collect a document or come to the hospital in person. QMH has reported to the Police.
      
     QMH reiterates that hospital staff will contact patients by phone in person and provide relevant information to verify the identity of both parties. Members of the public are advised not to disclose personal information in unidentified phone calls and to report any suspected fraudulent calls to the Police.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     The spokesman for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) made the following announcement today (October 24) regarding a hospital facility safety incident:
 
     At around 2.30pm today, a piece of thermal insulation material, which is approximately one metre by half a metre, along with some concrete fragments, fell from the ceiling of the patient catering kitchen on the seventh floor of the Main Block. No staff was working in the area at the time and no one was injured. Patient catering services remain normal.

     QMH immediately cordoned off the concerned area for an urgent inspection and repair. Upon preliminary investigation, it is believed that the incident was caused by the aging of insulation materials. Taking into account the long service years of the kitchen as well as the high temperature and humidity working environment while handling patient catering daily, which may cause the ceiling materials to age more easily, the hospital has scheduled ceiling maintenance works in the kitchen by phases starting from this April. Half of the related works have been completed already. The maintenance works for the concerned area this time were originally scheduled at the end of next month. During the time, the hospital has conducted regular inspection. The last inspection at this area was in July this year with no abnormalities found. 

     The hospital had reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System and further inspections will be arranged to ensure the safety.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesman for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) announces today (October 26) the investigation progress of an alleged incident of improperly obtaining drug:

     The QMH has received a report of a doctor suspected of obtaining morphine oral analgesics improperly. The hospital is deeply concerned about the incident. As the doctor concerned is employed by the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), a joint committee has been set up between the QMH and the HKU to stringently follow up on the incident and look into the complaint details.

     Several other doctors appear to have prescribed drugs for the doctor concerned from February to August 2022. The committee met with the doctor concerned on October 22. In order to clarify if criminal element is involved, the hospital has reported the case to the Police. The QMH is in co-operation with Police’s investigation and thus further details on the case cannot be provided at this stage.

     The doctor concerned is on leave at the moment. The QMH has reviewed the related patients’ records, and no patient has been affected. The QMH will take follow-up actions in accordance with existing procedures and relevant codes of professional conduct of medical practitioners.

     The Hospital Authority (HA) has in place guidelines to supervise prescription of drugs by doctors. Doctors must prescribe suitable drugs to patients in need, according to their clinical conditions and related drug prescription guidelines. The HA also has an established mechanism to review drug prescriptions, to ensure that patients get appropriate, safe and effective drugs.