The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson announced today (May 26) that Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) has obtained national accreditation for its Chest Pain Centre, becoming the first accredited chest pain centre in Hong Kong. An accreditation ceremony was held today to mark this milestone.
 
     QMH began preparations for establishing the Chest Pain Centre in 2023, aligning with the Policy Address initiative to establish Hong Kong's first chest pain centre at QMH according to national accreditation standards, aimed at improving the diagnosis process and treatment outcomes for cardiovascular patients. QMH experts subsequently visited various chest pain centres on the Mainland to learn from their experience and processes in managing cardiac patients. Mainland experts were also invited to Hong Kong to exchange insights in preparation for developing operational procedures. Hong Kong's first chest pain centre at QMH commenced operations in November 2024. Following national accreditation standards, the centre has improved the diagnosis process for acute high-risk cardiac patients, including those with acute myocardial infarction, while promoting national chest pain centre certification as an international standard. These standards encompass standardised management, treatment efficiency improvement, and interdepartmental collaboration.
 
     The Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko, said, "QMH's successful accreditation according to national standards validates its professional expertise in acute cardiac care and strengthens the HA's ongoing commitment to enhancing cardiac services in public hospitals. The HA maintains a patient-centred approach, continuously improving healthcare service quality through multidisciplinary collaboration, streamlined treatment processes, and innovative technology adoption."
 
     Dr Ko added that QMH Chest Pain Centre's successful experience will serve as an important reference for developing similar services across other HA clusters. The HA will continue to invest resources to enhance service efficiency and quality, providing better healthcare services for the public.
 
     The China Chest Pain Centre Accreditation Committee recently sent experts, including the Chairman of the China Chest Pain Centre Expert Committee, Professor Huo Yong, and the Chairman of the China Chest Pain Centre Executive Expert Committee, Professor Xiang Dingchen, to conduct an on-site evaluation at QMH. The experts affirmed QMH Chest Pain Centre's appropriate timing control for patient examinations and treatments, standardised and efficient overall processes, and reasonable patient care pathways, reflecting that the centre meets all certification requirements for proper handling of acute cardiac patients.
 
     The Hospital Chief Executive of QMH, Dr Theresa Li, thanked the Mainland expert team and the Health Bureau for their support in establishing Hong Kong's first chest pain centre and obtaining national accreditation. Dr Li said, "Every step in the treatment process is interconnected and affects patient outcomes. The accreditation standards strictly regulate each component, requiring close cooperation between different departments to ensure smooth implementation. With the completion of QMH's new building, both hardware and software capabilities have been enhanced, which we believe will help patients secure golden treatment time and improve survival rates and post-operative recovery."
 
     Dr Li also expressed gratitude to the various hospital teams for their efforts in establishing and achieving accreditation for the Chest Pain Centre.
 
     The HA will continue to optimise services and, drawing from QMH's experience, establish a second chest pain centre at Prince of Wales Hospital according to national accreditation standards. The goal is to build a chest pain treatment network in Hong Kong to improve diagnostic efficiency, enhance treatment effectiveness, and increase patient survival rates.

Ends/Monday, May 26, 2025
Issued at HKT 16:00

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