Peak flu season to make HK hospital crisis worse:overcapacity, overworked doctors

SCMP

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(SCMP) HongKong’spublichospitalshavebeenstretchedtobreakingpointbyasurgeinthenumberofpatientsseekingtreatmentforfluandchronicdiseasesduringpersistentcoldweather.

The“unprecedented”problemhasnowspilledoverfromemergencyunitsandmedicalwardstodepartmentslikeorthopaedicsandsurgery,thePosthaslearnt.

Theoccupancyrateonallmedicalwardsin16publichospitalshasconsistentlybeenaround110percent,withsomeashighas130,meaningtemporarybedshaveevenfilledupallspacesincorridors.Somepatientscomplainedofwaitingfordaysinobservationunitsbeforetheycouldbemovedintoaroom.

Ataccidentandemergencyunits,patientsclassifiedasnon-urgentweremadetowaitforaslongas24hoursbeforetheywereseenbydoctors,withover7,000patientsattendingtheunitsdailyoverthepastweek,comparedwiththeaverageof6,000.

Tocopewithdemand,nurseshavebeenaskedtostepintoassesspatientswithmorestableconditions.SecretaryforFoodandHealthDrKoWing-manwarnedonWednesdaythatthesituationwasabouttogetevenworse.

Thetemperatureisexpectedtodropstartingfromtomorrow–theoverloadedsituationwillbecomemoresevere,”Kosaidaftervisitingseveralhospitals.HospitalAuthoritychiefexecutiveDrLeungPak-yinconcededthatpublichospitalswerefacinganunprecedentedchallenge.Oneseniornursesaidmedicalwardsweresofullthatcorridorsaswellasthespaceoutsidethemanager’sroomwerefilledwithtemporarybeds.“Thereisn’tevenspaceforustomovethebloodpressuremonitormachines.

Weshouldbeworriedaboutinfectioncontrolinsuchacongestedenvironment.”PublicDoctors’AssociationpresidentDrPierreChanPui-yinsaidsomedoctorswereworkingalmost80hoursaweekratherthantheusual44hoursandtheworkloadforinternalmedicinespecialistswaswaybeyondtheofficialfigures.

SecretaryKoWing-man(centre)visitsQueenElizabethHospital.Photo:SamTsang

Chansaidinternalmedicinepatientsweretransferredtootherdepartmentswhenwardsreachedabove100percent.

Butwhenotherdepartmentsstartedfillingup,thepatientsflowedbacktothemedicalwards–hencetheoccupancyratesof130percent.“Theactualworkloadfeltbyinternalmedicinespecialistsismorelike200percentextra,sincetheyareinchargeofthetransferralandbackflowofpatients,”Chansaid.Hesaiditwasnotfairtoasknursestoseepatientsandeventoprescribemedicine,sincesomemayhavecomplicatedconditions.

Adoctorfromanorthopaedicsdepartmentagreedandsaidthefiguresonmedicalwardsdidnotreflecttherealworkloadasotherdepartmentsweresharingtheburden.

“Thedoctorsininternalmedicinearetryingtheirbesttofindanytinyexcusepossibletoputpatientsinotherwards,suchasorthopaedicsorsurgery,”saidthedoctorfromCaritasMedicalCentreinKowloon,whopreferredtoremainanonymous.

AsignattheA&Eunitshowspatientswillhavetowaitatleast15hours.Photo:SamTsangDrWong

Yam-hong,fromdoctors’groupMédecinsInspirés,saidpublichospitalswereat“breakingpoint”.Hecriticisedtheauthority’sdecisiontosend30frontlinedoctorstoBeijinginApriltoattendaone-weeknationaleducationclassorganisedbythecentralgovernment’sHongKongliaisonofficewhilehospitalsweresoseverelyunderstaffed.

TheoverflowproblemwashighlightedinaFacebookpost,believedtobewrittenbyamedic,thatsuggestedonepatientatQueenElizabethHospitalinYauMaTeihadtowaitthreenightsinanobservationunitbeforebeingadmittedtothemedicalward.DrCheungWai-lun,theauthority’sdirectorofclusterservices,describedthisincidentasan“isolatedcase”.

Cheungsaidthehospitalhadorderedareviewofwhethernon-emergencyservicescouldbesuspendedtoallowresourcestobedivertedtomoreseriouscases.Theauthoritywouldalsoconsidertransferringlessseriouscasestorehabilitationhospitalsandexpandthescopeofaspecialovertimeschemeformedicalstaff.