Concerning the incident in which a surgical light at United Christian Hospital fell off, the Department of Health today said the preliminary investigation result provided by the local supplier of surgical lights revealed that it might be related to the problem of the screws fixing the surgical light.
 
The department explained that upon receiving an adverse event report from the Hospital Authority, its Medical Device Division (MDD) immediately contacted the local supplier, Getinge Group Hong Kong, to obtain details of the incident.
 
The local supplier replied yesterday that according to the manufacturer's early stage of the investigation, the incident might be due to the problem of the screws fixing the surgical light.
 
Apart from the concerned surgical light, Volista STANDOP, the manufacturer found that the problem may also affect another three models of Maquet surgical lights using the same fixing means which were distributed in Hong Kong. They are Hanaulux HLX 3000, PowerLed/Hled and Maquet PowerLed II.
 
The department said it wrote to the local supplier again today, reminding that it should inform the affected customers immediately and take follow-up actions. The local supplier was also required to submit an investigation report within four weeks.
 
Meanwhile, the department pointed out that the MDD had posted special safety alerts on its website on February 20 and 24 regarding the incident.
 
Emails were also sent to relevant stakeholders to remind them to take note of the incident and advise them to contact the supplier if they are using the surgical lights concerned.
 
Moreover, users were reminded to assemble, install, use and regularly maintain the medical devices, including ceiling-mounted surgical lights, in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations and instructions for use.
 
Separately, the Health Bureau notified the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association on February 19 of the incident, while the department's Office for Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities contacted all private hospitals and day procedure centres and requested them to check relevant devices thoroughly as well as arrange for checking by relevant manufacturers or vendors to ensure safety.