Matilda International Hospital (明德國際醫院) is a hospital in Hong Kong located at 41 Mount Kellett Road, The Peak. The hospital was built as a result of the last will and testament of Granville Sharp, the husband of Matilda Lincolne Sharp. Granville Sharp was a highly successful banker descended from the well known Sharp family of Romsey, England, another member of which was Conversation Sharp.[1]. Matilda Lincolne is thought by some to have been related to the US President's family.[2]
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Originally from the UK, the couple travelled a long way, encountering many adventures (including shipwreck) along their way, before arriving in Hong Kong.
The hospital admitted its first patients in 1907, at that time providing free care to mainly expatriates. The original building, which is still in use today, is outstandingly beautiful, as is the hospital's location on "the Peak" on Hong Kong Island.
In the past it was known as the Matilda Memorial & War Hospital, but nowadays, it has been renamed Matilda International Hospital, and is a not-for-profit hospital serving all the people of Hong Kong and the wider region. It provides four core services: maternity, orthopaedic, surgical, health assessment and health services. Its medical staff are among the highest earning doctors in the Pacific area.
The Matilda Medical Centre (MMC) was opened in the Central area of Hong Kong to mark the hospital's centenary celebration in 2007, and extend its quality services to downtown Central serving many of its corporate clients.
In Feb 2010 the state-of-the-art new OT5 was opened to provide fully integrated system and facilities for mainly orthopaedic & spine surgeries.
Matilda International Hospital used to be surveyed and accredited bi-annually by the Trent Accreditation Scheme of the United Kingdom, a major international healthcare accreditation group. In 2010 the Matilda decided to leave behind its British roots and instead to look towards the Australia Certificate of Healthcare Services (ACHS) scheme, becoming accredited by them in December 2010. The hospital has also adopted the ISO 9001:2008 certification, a non-clinically orientated quality management system.
With its clientale skewed towards the middle upper classes Matilda is well connected to global and local insurers and TPA's (Third Party Administrators) for directly billing services.[3]
The hospital is not universally popular in Hong Kong, and the doctors working there have been accused of putting a high personal income ahead of patient care.[1]
An unusual death of a 16 year old American during a routine appendicectomy caused concern in 2006.[2][3].
In 2006, an enormous claim for damages related to an accusation of negligence during the delivery of a child was set underway.[4]
In 2011, the hospital refused to accept that it had responsibility for incomepetent activities by consultant surgeons making use of its facilities, and demanded the payments of large fees by a patient allegedly injured during treatment at the hospital.[5]