Six patients who should have attended Kai Tak Hospital instead went to Queen Elizabeth Hospital between October 5 and November 2, the Health Bureau said in a written reply to a Legislative Council question on November 4. All six were treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Under the one-off arrangement, Queen Elizabeth Hospital provides care when a patient due at Kai Tak mistakenly arrives there, so the patient does not have to travel on to the new hospital. The Hospital Authority also calls patients whose follow-up appointments are moving, to make sure they know where to attend.
Since late October, the authority has sent appointment reminders through HA Go three weeks and one day before follow-up visits. The messages specify Kai Tak Hospital as the appointment location. For outpatients who arrive slightly late, the authority said it will try to arrange care that day where possible, rather than asking them to rebook.
The Health Bureau’s reply said one-way services on KMB routes 11A and 17A, which began on October 5, broadly meet demand at the current stage. Patients leaving the hospital may have different departure times and destinations, and can use connecting buses to reach MTR stations. Citybus routes 22S and 22M, for example, serve Kai Tak and Sung Wong Toi stations.
The Transport Department assesses travel needs using factors including where patients live. As services expand, it plans on-site surveys and checks on passenger numbers, with bus frequencies or feeder services to be adjusted according to demand.
The transfer of clinical services is also being staged. Internal medicine and family medicine specialist outpatient services were scheduled to start at Kai Tak Hospital in mid-November, followed by obstetrics day services in late November. The remaining specialist outpatient, inpatient, surgical and emergency services are expected to move in 2028, after the acute hospital block is completed.