Hospitals accused of squabble over skin

TWO leading hospitals and the Hospital Authority have been accused of squabbling over skin supplies for pupils burnt in the Pat Sin Leng hillfire.

Queen Mary Hospital yesterday said it had offered its human skin supply to the Prince of Wales Hospital shortly after the Saturday blaze, but had received no answer.

The Prince of Wales, where victims are being treated, this week appealed to the public to donate the skin from recently-deceased relatives.

The Prince of Wales, attached to the Chinese University in Sha Tin, and the Queen Mary, attached to the University of Hong Kong in Pokfulam, have long been rivals. The hospitals operate the territory's only two skin banks.

Medical representative legislator Dr Leong Che-hung, last night accused both centres of acting 'childishly' at the patients' expense.

'This is ridiculous. It is a tragedy. At the end of the day, it's not whether hospital A or hospital B gets the credit, but that the patients should walk out of hospital,' Dr Leong said.

'And to some extent I have to blame the Hospital Authority. They should have been the co-ordinator, not let the hospitals run wild and go to the press. Instead they're squabbling over things.' Queen Mary doctors yesterday said they had skin stocks adequate to cover the entire body of an adult - equivalent to the area of 100 adult-sized palms.