With a height of 148.5 metres (487 ft), it is the sixth-highest hospital building in the world[citation needed], being 15 centimetres (5.9 in) shorter than Guy's Hospital in London.
History
The hospital was founded in 1922 (known then as The Yeung Wo Nursing Home) by a group of Chinese medical practitioners and residents of Hong Kong. The aim was to provide hospital facilities for the Chinese community, and to provide accessible accommodation for patients to be cared for by their own doctors.[citation needed]
A popular public amusement centre in Happy Valley, known as "The Happy Retreat", was acquired for the location of the hospital.[2] The hospital opened its doors in September 1922 with 28 beds. Dr. Wai-Cheung Chau (1893–1965) served as its Superintendent, and Dr. Lee Sun Chau (1890–1979) served as the Matron of the hospital.[3][4][5]
Four years after the opening, a landslip occurred on the hill slope behind the two buildings, causing considerable damage. The nursing home had to be closed for some six months in order that the premises could be made habitable for admission of patients [citation needed].
Dr. Li Shu Fan, who had just returned to Hong Kong after serving as head of Kung Yee University Medical School in Canton, was chosen to lead the hospital in 1926. It was under his leadership that the name of the nursing home was changed to its present form, Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital. Dr LI Wai Tat, Walton is now the current Medical Superintendent of HKSH, and chief executive officer of HKSH Medical Group.[6]