Hawaii Medical Center closed patient care Thursday, according to HMC Chief Executive Officer Maria Kostylo.

The last few patients were transferred late Wednesday to area hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Kostylo said with the cessation of patient care, HMC will lay off a significant majority of its nearly 1,000 employees by this weekend.

Administration and other necessary departments at HMC East and HMC West will remain open to oversee the wind down of business operations.

"Today is a sad day for all of us at Hawaii Medical Center," said Kostylo. "We've been part of the community for 85 years, first as St. Francis Medical Center and then as Hawaii Medical Center."

"Despite our many challenges in recent years, the employees of HMC never wavered in their commitment to provide quality care for patients," said Kostylo. "I commend them and am very grateful for their dedication and professionalism."

Hawaii Medical Center was forced to abandon its plans for selling the hospital after its largest secured creditor, St. Francis Healthcare System, filed a motion on Dec. 13 objecting to a potential sale.

The interested buyer, Prime Healthcare Services Foundation, was not willing to proceed with the sale.

• Dec. 29, 2011 - Final Patient Leaves West Oahu Hospital
• Dec. 28, 2011 - Bankrupt Hospital Now Says 500 Workers Laid Off
• Dec. 23, 2011 - 200+ HMC Workers Will Be Laid Off On Christmas Eve
• Dec. 22, 2011 - Layoff Notices For Hospital Workers Could Come Christmas Eve
• Dec. 20, 2011 - Oahu Hospitals Rally To Fill Gap In Emergency Care
• Dec. 20, 2011 - Rapid Response Established For HMC Employees
• Dec. 20, 2011 - Queen's Applies For Organ Transplant Program
• Dec. 16, 2011 - HMC Winding Down Operations After Deal Falls Through
• Nov. 30, 2011 - Hawaii Medical Center Gets More Time To Find Buyer
• Nov. 14, 2011 - Hawaii Medical Center Gets New Lender, More Time
• Oct. 27, 2011 - Hawaii Medical Center Aggressively Searching For Buyers