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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) issued the following supplementary statement regarding a voluntary recall of a batch of syringes by the supplier:
On the above recall, the HA clarifies that as indicated by the supplier, the recall was based on the manufacturer's concern that the syringesˇ¦ package seal integrity could have been adversely affected when the product was exposed to low atmosphere pressure at high altitudes during air shipment. The HA has confirmed with the supplier that the concerned batch of syringes (Model: BD 60ml Luer-Lok Syringes) was shipped to Hong Kong by sea. Hence the syringesˇ¦ package seal integrity should not be at risk.
Furthermore, the HA would like to reiterate that stringent guidelines are in place for healthcare professionals in public hospitals to follow in checking the packaging and sterilisation standard of syringes before usage to ensure patient safety. Syringes with any noticed defects will be discarded immediately and not used on patients.
Moreover, under an established reporting system, hospital staff will report incidents to the Supplies Department if they notice any defect in products supplied. The HA has reviewed the records with the concerned hospitals on the use of the batch of syringes under recall. So far there is no report on any defective package or contamination of the syringes, nor any report on adverse reactions from patients.
As a standard practice, the HA attaches great importance to product recalls at public hospitals and followed up thoroughly in accordance with established procedures to ensure and maintain patient services upon receiving notification from the supplier. We immediately informed all public hospitals concerned to stop using the product, and arranged with the supplier to provide a new batch of syringes to ensure consistent supply for patient services.
The batch of syringes, which was under a global recall exercise, was originally manufactured by Becton Dickinson in the United States. Becton Dickinson is one of the leading manufacturers of syringes and has met the HAˇ¦s requirements in quality and safety.
Ends/Thursday, August 21, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:43
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