Loose screws found in 12 other surgical lamps at Hong Kong public hospitals after accident injures medic

Twelve surgical lamps used at Hong Kong public hospitals were found to have loose screws following inspections, the Hospital Authority (HA) has said. The check came after a lamp fell from the roof of an operating theatre on Saturday at the United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong, injuring an anaesthetic assistant.

United Christian Hospital. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The Hospital Authority issued a statement a day after the incident, saying that the assistant was discharged with a minor injury. No patients were in the room at the time, and that no other hospital staff or operations were affected, the HA said.

“Preliminary findings by the vendor suggested the incident may relate to the conditions of the screws used in the surgical lights,” the statement read.

Five other surgical lamps of the same model at the United Christian Hospital were found to have similar problems.

Yuen Pak-leung, a senior administrative manager of the HA, told RTHK on Monday morning that a total of 12 surgical lamps in four hospitals clusters were found to have loose screws.

“The surgical lamps are moved around a lot – usually the screws are tightened… if they are loose, the screws might break as some areas came under pressure,” said Yuen.

The manager said that surgical lamps were usually checked annually, and that the last check was conducted in December last year.

The Hospital Authority logo. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

The HA had also checked other lamps provided by the same manufacturer, and will inspect lamps from other suppliers, said Yuen.

When asked why the HA did not make public the incident on the day it took place, Yuen said that they had “followed up immediately,” including calling the contractor and finding an expert.

“We can only announce the information once we have organised what we had done,” said Yuen.

HKFP has reached out to the HA for comment.

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