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More than 800 men have visited a public health clinic for the anti-impotence drug Viagra, forcing overloaded doctors to work even longer to clear the backlog.

 At Kwong Wah Hospital's men's clinic, the number of patients on the waiting list for treatment of erectile dysfunction has doubled over the past two months.

 The figure jumped from 400 to 800 with new cases accumulating before the drug was officially launched in Hong Kong early last month.

 Three-hundred Viagra prescriptions have been issued by the clinic so far.

 The hospital's consultant urologist, Dr Andrew Yip Wai-chun, said yesterday that the stampede had forced the clinic to plan an additional weekly session, bringing the total to three, to clear the backlog.

 'It is true that most of the patients who come to us want Viagra,' Dr Yip said.

 'But we think the sharp rise [in the number of patients] is only temporary. Many patients have already gone to the private sector.'  Most of the patients, aged 50 or above, suffer underlying problems such as diabetes and heart disease which lead to impotence.

 Each patient has been given a prescription for four tablets for the first month as a trial.

 The clinic is conducting an internal audit on the first 100 patients about the drug's effectiveness and side-effects. The result will be available by mid-April.

 Dr Yip believes the potential for abuse of Viagra is minimal as patients 'realise it cannot turn them into a superman'.



Clinic battles Viagra stampede