Coronavirus Hong Kong: 7 clinics open as 12,000 patients stuck at home waiting for hospital, quarantine admission
- Authorities urge residents to use direct transport when commuting to centres equipped to assist up to 1,000 patients a day
- Some 400 taxi drivers recruited to take patients to the clinics expected to begin service on Friday
As of Tuesday, about 12,000 patients were still waiting at home for admission to hospitals or other facilities.
Health authorities on Wednesday urged residents to use direct transport when commuting to the clinics, adding that up to 400 taxi drivers dedicated to ferrying patients to and from the medical centres would be made available by Friday.
Those seeking consultations are required to make an appointment by phone.
“Before Friday, we strongly suggest patients to come by point-to-point transport, using the most direct way to arrive at the clinics,” said Dr Libby Lee Ha-yun, the Hospital Authority’s director of strategy and planning.
“During transit, they should take anti-epidemic measures such as maintaining hand hygiene, wearing a mask, keeping social distance, and avoiding talking and eating.”
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Lee said patients should visit the clinics only if necessary to avoid misuse of resources.
“Even if you develop mild symptoms while waiting to be admitted to hospital, it does not mean that a medical consultation is necessary,” she said.
“Most of the mild symptoms, especially when you are vaccinated, will be quickly gone. If you have mild symptoms and feel that you really need to consult a doctor, you can make a booking for the clinic.”
Lee added patients should be sent to hospital immediately if they developed serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, chest or abdominal pain, dizziness, or an inability to urinate. Pregnant women should also be hospitalised if they detected decreased fetal movements.
Antiviral drugs will not be given to patients at the clinics.
On Wednesday, some patients who visited the clinic without booking an appointment were turned away by staff.
A man and his infected wife and son at the Kowloon Bay Health Centre General Out-Patient Clinic were among those who were sent away.
“I knew I had to make an appointment, but it was only open at 9am. I began calling the hotline, but I could not get through. They told us to go back to sleep,” he said.
Another man, who was able to book an appointment, said: “After the Covid-19 test, I felt something, so I followed up. The medications were prepared for me. [They told me] if I do not have any symptoms, I do not have to take the medication, unless I have a fever.”
He later left by getting on a minibus.
About 10 people had lined up at the Robert Black General Out-Patient Clinic soon after it opened.
At the Shau Kei Wan Jockey Club Clinic, staff in protective clothing greeted patients outside the clinic. Elderly residents were seen with their families in taxis.
The clinic service is aimed at relieving the strain on Hong Kong’s overwhelmed public health care system as infections continue to surge, with the city confirming 4,285 new cases on Wednesday.
The total daily quota for the clinics was initially set at 1,000, but will be adjusted according to demand. Appointments can only be made by calling the following hotline: 1836115.
Staff have been assigned to call and give medical advice to patients with special needs, such as the elderly, children and pregnant women who were waiting at home.
Authorities were also preparing a hotline for patients who had further medical questions to consult private doctors remotely. Details will be released soon.
Patients should not arrive at the clinics without an appointment to avoid overcrowding, Lee said.
“I strongly advise patients not [to do so] because it will overwhelm our system and defeat the whole purpose,” she said.
“If those people arrive at the clinics [without a booking], we will screen their symptoms and handle it case by case. But we highly recommend people not to jump the queue.”
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Lee said the clinics were safe enough to maintain non-emergency services for patients with other illnesses, while vaccination and Covid-19 test collection services had been moved to other clinics.
“When we were building these clinics, we had already designed them to be capable of diverting patients with different illnesses and meeting the ventilation requirements,” she said.
“With our past experience of battling pandemics, we have enough reasons to believe that it is safe enough for a small number of other patients to get their medications or have their blood samples taken.”
Addressing complaints related to unreachable hotlines due to an overwhelming number of callers, she said the authority would consider recruiting more staff to answer calls.
The authority is preparing an online monitoring platform for those waiting for hospital treatment or admission to quarantine centres to report their symptoms and rapid antigen test results. Medical staff would follow up with them accordingly.
