The Hospital Authority (HA) in Hong Kong has suspended a subcontractor, Novox Limited, and initiated a police referral following the discovery of suspected forged calibration certificates essential for safety monitoring equipment at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) expansion project. The incident, centered around the redevelopment of the PMH Lai King Building, came to light after the HA’s internal verification checks confirmed that certification documents submitted by the subcontractor had not been issued by the named testing institution, raising serious concerns about construction integrity and contractual compliance.
The investigation began when the HA responded to media inquiries on November 18, following notification earlier on October 27 that Bewis Sensing Technology, a supplier, had terminated its contractual relationship with Novox Limited. The HA’s main contractor, China Railway Construction Group, facilitated the submission of the documents in question. Specific internal verification revealed that five calibration certificates, crucial for vibration monitoring equipment, were falsified, including four dated October 28, 2025, and one dated November 25, 2024. Formal confirmation on December 8, relayed via the main contractor, solidified the suspicion of forgery when the named issuing body, Guangdong Zhongzhenghang Metrology and Testing Co Ltd., denied authorship.
Monitoring Integrity is Crucial
Vibration monitoring is a mandatory safeguard during all hospital construction and expansion projects. This protocol ensures that building activities do not disrupt delicate clinical services or compromise patient care. Contractors are obligated to recalibrate monitoring equipment annually and provide valid, accredited certification to confirm data accuracy. While the HA maintains that safety sensors are primarily precautionary, equipment must be fully reliable.
Despite the serious contractual breach, a preliminary assessment indicated no impact on patient safety or ongoing clinical services at PMH. The HA emphasized that operational protocols, including the use of supplementary handheld monitoring instruments and a zero-tolerance policy where any staff report of significant vibration prompts an immediate work stoppage, have maintained service continuity. No service suspensions explicitly linked to construction vibration have been reported in the preceding six months.
Authority Takes Decisive Action
In response to the alleged fraud, the HA immediately instructed all relevant main contractors to appoint independent, accredited professional testing centers to recalibrate all affected vibration monitoring devices and secure fresh certification. Furthermore, the Authority reserved all legal rights concerning breaches of construction contracts and confirmed its intent to recover any losses incurred.
Since Novox Limited is engaged in vibration monitoring across several major hospital projects—including Kwong Wah, Our Lady of Maryknoll, Grantham, and North District Hospitals—the HA has initiated a comprehensive, system-wide audit. The scope involves:
- Full audit and trace of all works and services provided by Novox Limited across all healthcare projects.
- Re-verification of every testing certificate submitted by the company to date.
- Scrutiny of all monitoring data and upload processes.
The HA reiterated its uncompromising zero-tolerance policy toward fraud, affirming that the confirmed forgery warrants referral to the police for criminal investigation. This incident underscores the critical necessity of stringent oversight and verification processes within public infrastructure projects to protect both the integrity of contracts and the safety environment of critical healthcare facilities.