Dental scheme a smiling success
Launched by the Department of Health in May last year, the Community Dental Support Programme has already benefited over 10 000 participants. The programme has recently expanded its service scope and extended the coverage to homeless individuals.
News.gov.hk spoke with a Department of Health representative about the programme rationale, while a representative from one of its partner non-governmental organisations outlined how they reach out to potential service users. In addition, a service recipient shared her personal experiences.
The story is available at www.news.gov.hk/eng/feature from today (March 29) in text and video format.
Source: AI-found images
Hong Kong Children's Hospital announces an incident involving a patient who was found in cardiac arrest after temporary ventilator circuit disconnection
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Hong Kong Children's Hospital (HKCH) issued the following statement today (March 28) concerning an incident involving a patient who was found in cardiac arrest after temporary ventilator circuit disconnection.
A 6-year-old boy was admitted to HKCH on December 24, 2025, due to his underlying rare disease. On March 25 this year, he underwent an interventional procedure under general anaesthesia, which was uneventful. Afterwards, he was transferred to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) as planned for monitoring. In the PICU, he was kept intubated and placed on ventilator support for his protection. He was sedated with medications but remained conscious.
At 7.29am on March 26, a nurse found the patient in cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was commenced immediately on the patient.At the same time, the endotracheal (ET) tube connector was found disconnected from the ET tube and was immediately reconnected to the ventilator circuit. After resuscitation, the patient had returned to spontaneous circulation at 7.36am.His parents were immediately informed about the incident and the patient's condition. The hospital subsequently retrieved the patient's physiological monitor records which revealed that the patient had asystole from 7.20am.
Subsequently, the patient developed seizures which were controlled with anti-epileptic medications. Initial neurological investigations show no abnormalities so far. The patient is under intensive care including ventilator support and neuroprotective care. He remains haemodymically stable and is under close monitoring in the PICU.
The hospital is deeply concerned about the incident and has met with the parents to explain the situation. The hospital will continue to provide necessary support to the family. The case was reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System. The hospital has taken immediate measures to strengthen the monitoring of patients requiring ventilator care in the intensive care unit.
A root cause analysis panel will be set up to investigate the incident and recommend improvement measures. The panel will look into the incident from all aspects, including but not limited to patient care and support, as well as operational procedures of medical devices and consumables.
The panel members are as follows:
Chairperson
Dr Sin Ngai-chuen
Hospital Chief Executive, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and Tai Po Hospital
Members
Dr Janice Chow
Consultant, Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital
Ms Pilta Kan
Nurse Consultant, Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital
Dr Raymond Cheung
Chief Manager (Patient Safety and Risk Management), Hospital Authority
Dr Osburga Chan
Service Director (Quality and Safety), Kowloon Central Cluster
Dr Eric Chan
Deputy Chief of Service, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Kwong Wah Hospital
Dr Sally Wong
Deputy Quality and Safety Coordinator, Hong Kong Children's Hospital
The panel will complete the investigation and recommend improvement measures within eight weeks. The report will be submitted to the Hospital Authority Head Office.
Source: AI-found images
