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SCMP Reporter

Q Would cuts to Ruttonjee's A&E department hurt the community?

The short answer is yes. There will be more risk for people living, working and visiting Hong Kong Island (particularly Wan Chai), who encounter accidents or emergencies. People in Wan Chai will need to spend more time, effort and expense to reach  emergency treatment at hospitals outside the district.

It is hoped  the Wan Chai District Council has been looking into this  in order to ensure that its residents' concerns  get a fair hearing  and, in due course, a fair share of the public hospital services  that are now undergoing a major review with a consultation period ending on October 31.

If the Hospital Authority (or the head of the HK East Cluster) has already reached unilateral conclusions about ways to reduce services,  it  would make a mockery of the consultation exercise.

Name and address supplied

On other matters...

It would seem that our scientists, medical experts and lawmakers have learned nothing. We are told we are facing an epidemic that could kill hundreds of millions of people.

We are told that only one drug will save those hapless souls who become infected. We are told the reason only one drug will work is because all the other drugs in our arsenal of defence against diseases have been so abused that the flu virus has become immune to them.

We have heard of farmers using human anti-viral drugs to vaccinate their birds. Yet with only one chance at saving victims from this disease, our leaders have seen fit to release it to the public. This means two things.

Businesses will stockpile the drug for their employees to use and so minimise the possible effect of the disease on them. If this drug is not produced in sufficient volume, this means that people who are  infected will die so that  business profits won't be too affected. But even more pernicious is that private citizens will be able to purchase the drug, seemingly without confirmation that they are infected with H5N1.

So it is possible these people will use the drug to combat other flu strains, or just to deal with psychosomatic symptoms, thereby eventually rendering Tamiflu ineffective too.

This is a global crisis. There needs to be more control over the distribution of this drug, with only those confirmed to be infected with H5N1 allowed to receive it, and it being given as a prophylactic only to those in key civil positions. It's time we stopped thinking selfishly and considered the global implications of leaving the human race defenceless in the face of disease.

Susan Ramsay, Tseung Kwan O

The wonder of living in this great city is the fact that there are so many different opinions of what Hong Kong is about. One day we read an article from local columnist Chip Tsao about western men and local women and with one fell swoop he has offended half of  the population by saying  Hong Kong women are money-hungry.

And then we read the article from Anthony Lawrance (whose sounds like a western man)  telling us where our strengths lie  and why we can still be Asia's world city.

If Mr Tsao and his friends wonder why local girls go out with western men, can I suggest it may have something to do with the fact the girls want to live in a world which is multicultural, and that is what Hong Kong is really about, not some one-dimensional Chinese male-oriented society where they would still like to bind women's feet.

Stephen Anderson, Mid-Levels

I refer to the response of Citybus' Elaine Chan on October 19 on the abandonment of the $1 rides for senior citizens.

I was once a grateful recipient of their $1 Saturday, Sunday and public holiday bus rides in previous times, even though the availability of 'cheap travel' for this 'oldie' was latterly slashed to only Sundays and public holidays - somewhat curtailing my opportunity to travel when I wanted to.

Now - with the scheme abandoned (for all time?) - I refuse to allow the $10-$12 that I previously spent on $1 rides to flow into Citybus, or NWFB Octopus readers each weekend. My recreational sorties to multiple points along the southern coast of Hong Kong Island at the weekends have been  abandoned and now my 'discretionary dollar' stays on my Green Octopus Card while I stay at home.

I'm certainly not prepared to spend even 'half fare' to get me between impossible-to-bridge [by walking] locations like Repulse Bay to Chung Hom Kok.

While I cannot guarantee that there are others who have decided that, with the withdrawal of this perk for 'oldies', they too will not venture out at all, or not so much as previously, I will stand firm and not discharge Octopus Card into Citybus, or NWFB, for anything other than  essential trips.

Surely the bus companies ought to realise that - however little they charge for it - even one empty seat is revenue forever lost?  If their Sunday/public holiday revenues for Green Octopus cards has fallen, then they'll know the reason ... and I will continue to save at least $10 a week  ($520 a year) that the bus companies will now lose from me. I wonder how much they are losing from other oldies taking a stand against the withdrawal of this promotion?

Anthony R.C. Green, Pokfulam

I have been struggling to explain to toddlers how beautiful, big and strong the elephant is by showing TV shows and pictures to kids I teach. I wonder whether Ocean Park would think of bringing a couple of elephants as additional attractions. Nothing would please the kids more than being visually overwhelmed on seeing the elephants walk in Ocean Park.

Anna Naidu, Mid-Levels



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