HA Support Centre Meets Half of Public Hospital Laundry, Catering Needs
Crhk · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
The Hospital Authority Support Services Centre, situated adjacent to North Lantau Hospital, has been operating in phases since early last year. The facility provides central laundry services, patient meals, emergency personal protective equipment, bedding storage and data centre services. Kowloon West Hospital Cluster Director Lawrence Law Chun-bong (羅振邦) stated that as the First Hospital Development Plan progresses and new hospitals come online, logistics support demands have increased, prompting the establishment of this centre with extensive automation.
Key Points
- The centre's central laundry can process 33.16 million kg of linens annually, while the kitchen can prepare 14.7 million patient meals yearly
- These two services can satisfy approximately 50 percent of the Hospital Authority's overall public hospital requirements when fully operational
- The central laundry features Hong Kong's first automated sorting system equipped with robotic arms and X-ray inspectors to detect foreign objects, combined with RFID technology for classification
- The kitchen adopts rapid-cooling technology to quickly reduce food temperature, preserving nutrition and extending shelf life, drawing on aviation catering experience
- Centre usage is expected to reach 70 percent by year-end, currently serving 15 public hospitals and expanding to 23 by Q4 2026
- No staff were made redundant; employees were transferred from various hospitals to the centre
- An IT data centre can house 500 server racks, while the central emergency reserve storage holds about 25 percent of the Hospital Authority's PPE needs
Why It Matters
The centre consolidates logistical services that previously operated independently at each hospital, freeing up valuable clinical space and improving cost efficiency. As the Second Hospital Development Plan is announced during this government's term, decisions on whether to build a second support services centre will depend on future hospital expansion needs .
The centre consolidates logistical services that previously operated independently at each hospital, freeing up valuable clinical space and improving cost efficiency. As the Second Hospital Development Plan is announced during this government's term, decisions on whether to build a second support services centre will depend on future hospital expansion needs .