The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The 82nd issue of "HA Risk Alert" was published today (July 31) by the Hospital Authority (HA) as a risk management and communication initiative to further strengthen the reporting and monitoring of clinical incidents and enhance safety in public hospitals.
      
     In the first quarter of 2026 (January to March), there were seven sentinel events reported, comprising three cases of retained instruments/material after surgery/interventional procedure, three cases of surgery/interventional procedure involving the wrong body part and one case of inpatient suicide. In addition, there were 26 reported serious untoward events related to medication errors.
      
     "Subsequent to the incident reviews and analyses of the root causes of these incidents, important lessons for patient safety have been identified, while recommendations are made and shared in this publication to avoid similar events in the future," the HA spokesperson said.
      
     The HA Head Office has released the latest "HA Risk Alert" to all staff. It can also be accessed by the public at www.ha.org.hk/riskalert. "HA Risk Alert" is published on a quarterly basis and posted on the HA website in January, April, July and October. The next issue is scheduled for October 2026.

Ends/Friday, July 31, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:00

NNNN