When we think of hospital meals, bland and unappetising food comes to mind. Little known to the public though, is that hospitals have been making big improvements in recent years, hoping to provide meals that are not only healthy, but meals that also tastes and looks good.
Kowloon Hospital has followed a 20-year tradition of providing food made on premise- meals are prepared and immediately served within the hospital. Attention is also given to patients with special dietary needs. But the Hospital Authority is pushing forward the central kitchen system, where food can be prepared in larger quantity and where sanitary conditions can be better controlled.
6 years ago, Queen Elizabeth Hospital started receiving meals from the central kitchen. The meals are reheated on premise and then brought to patients. In order to improve patient’s appetite, the hospital also requests for more varieties from the central kitchen, hoping that they can provide healthy meals that also look and taste like food from proper restaurants.
Centralised or not, everyone who works in these kitchens have the same hope, to provide heart-warming meals to patients in need.
每當提及公立醫院提供的食物，不少人會立即聯想起「淡而無味」、「單調」、「賣相欠佳」等形容詞。不過，原來近年公立醫院的膳食部正加緊努力改善，希望提供既能顧及病人健康狀況，也可色香味俱全的飯餐。
在過去廿年，九龍醫院一直跟隨傳統，在院內設置廚房，病人每餐食物都是「即煮即食」，同時會按病人健康需要，提供其他類型飯餐，甚至為個別病人烹調他們希望吃到的餸菜。不過，醫管局正逐步推行中央廚房制度，集中為公立醫院提供病人膳食，這樣既可方便醫院處理大量病人飯餐，同時亦更符合對病人食物衛生安全的嚴格要求。
伊利沙伯醫院六年前開始改由中央廚房供應已煮好的飯餐，醫院只需將食物加熱，就可以直接送進病房給病人食用。另外，為了提高病人食慾，院方更會要求中央廚房炮製更多不同款式食物，希望能做到賣相與坊間無異的健康飯餐。
無論是「即煮即食」的醫院廚房抑或「集中烹調」的中央廚房，凡在那裡工作的人都有同樣的期望，就是為病人送上溫暖而窩心的飯餐。
