Page 78 - HKU Surgery 110 Anniversary E-Book

Chapter IV. A Centre of Excellence

A Culture Change

Ground-breaking Unlike Ong, the committed general the random allocation under Ong.

surgeon, Wong believed that patients In the 1990s, the system expanded
Achievements would benefit from greater sub- to 13 specialist divisions, each an
specialisation in the Department. autonomous tertiary referral centre
One of the first things he and his of excellence in its own right.
team did was to introduce a system
Under Wong’s headship, the Department introduced new treatments to Hong Kong, that encouraged academic staff to The team approach delivered in
developed world-first surgical procedures, and achieved outstanding clinical results specialise more finely and build on spades through the decline in
across the spectrum of general and subspecialty surgery, in some cases unsurpassed the know-how they gained to improve mortality rates and other ground-
anywhere else. Benchmarks were set for others to follow, and visitors came from all patient outcomes and develop breaking achievements. Wong also
over to learn. Some key achievements included: research. refocused departmental meetings

Oesophageal cancer surgery Nasopharyngeal cancer to identify ways to improve, rather
This was Wong’s own ace. After he Professor William Ignace Wei devised Five specialist teams were initially than apportion blame. Daily post-call
took over this specialty in the early two new techniques – maxillary established under Wong, each with meetings reviewed all on-call patient
1980s, the mortality rate from surgical swing approach and split palate their own leader. Team 1 focused on admissions and operations for quality
resection of the cancer plunged from brachytherapy – that greatly improved hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery; assurance. The weekly “census”
25% to close to 0%, and the leakage the control rate for nasopharynx Team 2 on upper gastrointestinal and (morbidity and mortality) meeting
rate from 30% to 4%. and neck cancers, rising to 80% for breast surgery; Team 3 on head and reviewed cases where a patient
small recurrence and 65% for large neck, oesophageal, vascular, plastic died or experienced complications.
Liver cancer and transplantation recurrence . and reconstructive surgery; Team 4 Students and visiting doctors were
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The liver team, led by Professor ST on colorectal and endocrine surgery; welcome to the meetings to witness
Fan, produced dramatic, ground- Cardiothoracic surgery and Team 5 on urology. They rotated the Department in action. Wong also
breaking work in the 1990s. From Several Hong Kong surgical firsts on-call duties and weekend duties started a weekly research meeting
1989 to 1996, they reduced hospital were achieved under Professor Mok on a regular, scheduled basis, unlike where each team or division presented
mortality from liver resection from Che-Keung and later Dr Chiu Shui-
28% to 0% and improved the five- Wah, including the first successful
year survival rate from 15% to 49%. he ar t t ranspl ant at ion (1992),
In 1994, they conducted the first first single-lung and heart-lung
living donor left lobe liver transplant transplantation (1995) and first
in unrelated adults and in 1996, the double-lung transplantation (1997).
world’s first such operation ever
using the right lobe .
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Senior Staff Meeting (circa 1991).
Senior Staff Meeting (circa 1997).

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