BMSIM Students received [Technical Merit Award] in the HKSQ Student Project Competition 2026
We are delighted to share that our BMSIM students received the [Technical Merit Award] in the HKSQ Student Project Competition 2026.
Their project addressed a highly relevant service quality challenge in Hong Kong’s public healthcare system: Emergency Department overcrowding and prolonged waiting times. With Hong Kong’s public healthcare reform officially launched on 1/1/2026, improving emergency service efficiency, resource allocation, and patient experience has become even more important. The student team proposed a data-driven public-to-public patient redirection model to support better coordination between nearby Emergency Departments during peak hours. Using discrete-event simulation, the study examined patient arrivals, triage, consultation processes, and possible transfer arrangements between public hospitals. The results were encouraging: a moderate transfer threshold could reduce average waiting times by over 20%, improving service reliability and reducing waiting-time imbalance. What makes this project especially meaningful is its balance between technical modelling and patient-centred service quality. The team emphasized that any redirection mechanism must consider patient choice, travel implications, family support, follow-up arrangements, clinical safety, and patient satisfaction. This award recognises not only the students’ technical capability, but also their ability to apply quality management, data analytics, simulation modelling, and systems thinking to real-world healthcare challenges.
Congratulations again to our BMSIM students (Matthew D., Eunice K., Dora W. & Peter Y.), and sincere thanks to the Project Supervisor – Paul, Chengye ZOU for his guidance.
We were truly pleased to witness our students receiving the award from Dr Aaron TONG Chairman of the judging panel) and celebrate their well-deserved achievement at the 11th World Summit of Chinese Quality on 6 August 2026.
