The Hospital Authority on Thursday said a houseman at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital mistakenly inserted a feeding tube into a patient's bronchus.

The authority said medical staff injected the medication via the tube into the lung of the 76-year-old man on Wednesday.

The patient was later sent to the intensive care unit and his condition is now stable.

Speaking to reporters at the hospital, the chief executive of the Hong Kong East Cluster, Loletta So, said the houseman might have misread the X-ray image due to a lack of clinical experience.

So said the authority has formed a committee to investigate the incident and it will deliver a report within eight weeks.

"We have met with the patient's family to explain the incident. We have extended our heartfelt apologies to them. Our medical team will closely monitor the patient's condition and provide the necessary treatment. We are committed to supporting the family, and we hope that the patient will recover soon," she added.

The incident follows a similar blunder in June, when medical staff inserted a feeding tube into the airway of a 61-year-old male patient at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.