Hospital Authority service arrangements announced
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The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson announced the following service arrangements for public hospitals today (September 22):
With Super Typhoon Ragasa edging closer to Hong Kong, the HA has made advance preparations and implemented special measures to ensure all acute services remain unaffected during the storm period.
"All acute services of public hospitals, including services of accident and emergency departments, inpatient services and emergency surgeries will remain as normal. The HA has allocated additional manpower, beds, medical utilities and supplies for possible emergencies during the storm," the HA spokesperson said.
Concerning the safety of patients and staff members, non-emergency services of public hospitals, including services of general out-patient clinics, specialist out-patient clinics, allied health (such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc), geriatric day hospitals and psychiatric day hospitals, ambulatory services, non-emergent laboratory tests (such as blood tests and returning of specimens) and diagnostic services will be suspended when the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or above is in force, with details as follows:
- Non-emergency services of public hospitals will remain as normal tomorrow morning (September 23). When the Hong Kong Observatory issues the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or above, all non-emergency services will be suspended. The public is advised to pay close attention to the latest weather information. The HA will announce the arrangements for services tomorrow afternoon in due course; and
- All non-emergency services will be suspended on Wednesday (September 24).
The HA anticipates that a large number of backlogged cases will have to be handled after the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 is cancelled. In view of potentially continuing adverse weather conditions, some non-emergency services may still be affected. The HA will announce arrangements for services to be available on Thursday (September 25) in due course.
The HA reminds that non-urgent patients should avoid visiting public hospitals or clinics during the storm or adverse weather conditions for the sake of safety. "Public hospitals will resume all affected non-emergency services as soon as possible after the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 is cancelled. Affected patients will be notified gradually in the coming week to reschedule their appointments. Patients do not need to be concerned. All clusters have also set up hotlines for patients' enquiries (see attached table)," the spokesperson supplemented.
Enhanced inspections have been carried out at various locations within public hospitals, including potential flood-prone areas, drainage systems and trees. Furthermore, contractors of HA construction sites have been instructed to implement proper reinforcement and safety precautionary measures against strong winds and heavy rain to minimise the impact of severe weather.
The HA Major Incident Control Centre will closely monitor the operations of all hospitals and maintain close communication with relevant government departments to ensure public hospital services remain unaffected during adverse weather conditions.
Annex
Hotlines for patients' inquiry
| Clusters | Hotline |
| Hong Kong East Cluster | 6460 4303 |
| Hong Kong West Cluster | 2255 4177 |
| Kowloon East Cluster | 2379 9611 |
| Kowloon Central Cluster | 3506 5300 |
| Kowloon West Cluster | 2990 1111 |
| New Territories East Cluster | 3505 4373 |
| New Territories West Cluster | 2468 5422 |
Ends/Monday, September 22, 2025
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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