Water leak during eye surgery at Hong Kong teaching hospital prompts probe
Doctors and medical staff at CUHK Medical Centre in Sha Tin covered patient with cloth to prevent her from getting wet
Hong Kong health authorities have ordered an investigation into a teaching hospital run by a local university after evidence emerged of water leaking from the ceiling of an operating theatre during eye surgery.
The Department of Health said on Sunday the incident took place on March 10 in an operating theatre at the CUHK Medical Centre in Sha Tin, a private teaching hospital run by the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
At one point, doctors and medical staff had to prevent the patient from getting wet by covering her with a cloth.
“It was noted that the hospital had conducted … eye surgery on a patient on March 10 and, towards the end of the surgery, water started dripping from the ceiling towards the end of the operating table,” the department said.
“The hospital staff immediately used a cloth to stop the dripping and at the same time covered the patient’s head and surgical instruments with a sterile surgical drape.”
The incident was only made known to the public after a local media report on Sunday. It was reportedly not the first instance of leaks occurring in the hospital’s operating theatres.
The department said it was told the operation was completed “uneventfully” and the patient’s condition was stable and no complications were reported.