Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Hospital begins phased opening with family medicine centre

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Hospital is beginning a phased opening, with authorities deploying staff and a dedicated hotline to help patients manage questions about appointments, transport and the relocation of services. The hospital’s family medicine integrated centre starts operating on Monday. It is expected to treat about 350 outpatients a day, including 100 existing public-hospital patients and 250 additional places for the general public.

The centre will handle relatively mild illnesses, including flu and gastroenteritis, as well as episodic and chronic conditions. Vaccinations, general nursing, nutrition and occupational therapy services will also be available. A dedicated pharmacy means the centre can operate independently.

Dr Eric Cheung Fuk-chi, chief executive of Kai Tak Hospital and cluster chief executive of Kowloon Central, said services would be introduced gradually. He described the move as Hong Kong’s largest hospital relocation and said caution was needed to ensure patient care and service quality were not affected. A task force will contact patients affected by the new arrangements.

A hotline will operate seven days a week, while staff wearing blue vests will assist patients in the lobby and clinical departments from Monday. Specialist outpatient services and a blood-taking station are due to begin in phases from late October. The blood-taking service will include automated dispensing and specimen transport, with the system designed to reduce collection time to within five minutes.

A clinical oncology day centre is planned for November. Kai Tak Hospital has 2,400 beds and 37 operating theatres and is intended to become a healthcare hub for Kowloon while taking over services from Queen Elizabeth Hospital. In 2028, its second phase is scheduled to add major inpatient, surgical and accident-and-emergency services.