************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson of Tseung Kwan O Hospital (TKOH) made the following announcement today (September 7) regarding a medication incident:
A new born baby boy was admitted to TKOH Paediatric Ward because of feeding intolerance and vomiting in end August this year. His condition improved and was discharged on September 4. The baby boy was administered BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccine upon discharge.
The hospital Pharmacy Department in a routine drug checking today found out that the vaccine administered to the baby was another BCG containing product. The strength administered was estimated to be about 10 times of the normal dose. According to literature reviews, the administered product will not cause harm to the baby, only mild allergic reaction will be found on the injection site. The baby was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for observation because of mild jaundice. His condition is stable. The Hospital will closely monitor the condition of the baby and will provide the necessary care and treatment.
The Hospital is deeply concerned about the incident and had immediately reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advanced Incident Reporting System. In addition, meeting with the babyˇ¦s father was arranged to explain the incident and the follow-up actions. The Hospital had expressed apologies to the parent. TKOH expresses deep regret and concern about the incident. Initial investigation found that the cause of the incident was a human error. The Hospital will strengthen staff training and supervision. Appropriate action will be taken according to the Human Resources Policies of the Hospital Authority for the staff concerned after detailed investigation.
The Hospital would like to express sincere apologies again to the families of the baby and assured that staff members would learn from this incident to avoid recurrence in the future.
Ends/Monday, September 7, 2009
Issued at HKT 22:39
NNNN
