Health official praises Tang Heung-may for her dedication to family and work Gallant Garden was once again filled with grieving family members, friends and high officials yesterday as they laid to rest the third public hospital medic to die after caring for Sars patients. Health-care assistant Tang Heung-may's husband, Kong Hak-ken, wore a mask as he carried her picture to the graveside. Tse Chun-yan, chief executive of the Kowloon East cluster of the Hospital Authority, gave the eulogy. 'Heung-may was filial to her senior family members and caring about the young ones, which was highly appreciated by her husband,' Dr Tse said. 'At work, she was an optimistic and enthusiastic frontline worker who took good care of the patients ... that she gave up her life for others reflects the Christian spirit.' Hours before the funeral at the government's official heroes' burial ground, the International Funeral Parlour in Hunghom had been overflowing with wreaths for Tang. The service there was attended by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and Hospital Authority chairman Leong Che-hung. Hundreds queued to pay their respects, while others waited in the street to enter the parlour. Tang, 36, who worked at United Christian Hospital, died on May 15 after being infected on April 1 by a patient. At the time it was not known that the patient had Sars. Her colleague, Lau Kam-yung, a 47-year-old health-care assistant, also died caring for the same patient. She is also expected to be buried at Gallant Garden, which is dedicated to government workers who die while serving the public. Nurse Lau Wing-kai, 38, the first public medical worker to die from Sars, was buried on May 7. Joanna Tse Yuen-man, the public doctor who died after volunteering to work in a Sars ward, was buried there more than a week ago.
