Despite communication woes and confusion over handling patients, hospital chiefs happy with drill
The failure of a hospital to set up an outbreak control team, jammed fax machines and health-care workers' excessive use of gloves are among the defects revealed by a drill to test its response to a flu pandemic.
Problems encountered in the Hospital Authority's closed-door Operation Flamingo recently are disclosed in a paper the authority board discussed earlier this week.
About 200 employees took part in the four-hour exercise on the morning of November 8 at the Tuen Mun Hospital and United Christian Hospital.
In the simulated exercise, two policemen were admitted to the two hospitals with fever and respiratory symptoms after coming into contact with someone who died of H5N1 bird flu.
The drill also tested communication between the authority's head office and the Centre for Health Protection.
