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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals
OpinionLetters

Letters | A quick cure for Hong Kong’s health care crisis could be just a few clicks away

  • Public hospitals are facing a manpower shortage resulting in long waiting times for patients
  • E-consultation is the most efficient way to ensure patients are diagnosed quickly and to spread the medical staff’s workload around different hospitals

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Medical professionals hold up signs protesting about the health care system reaching “bursting point” at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Jordan, Hong Kong, on January 26. Photo: Felix Wong
Letters
As Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world and boasts the longest life expectancy globally, it is no wonder that public hospitals are struggling with a manpower shortage and strained resources. Waiting times for those seeking treatment are outrageous, stretching hours, months and years. Why aren’t hospitals going digital?
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That Hong Kong’s life expectancy is the longest in the world is a testament to the quality of our medical facilities. Unfortunately, the elderly population is being seen as a burden on the health care system. The Census and Statistics Bureau estimates that by 2036 more than 30 per cent of the population will be aged 65 and above.
The shortage of staff and resources has led to overcrowding in hospitals. Waiting times even for emergency cases are appalling. In December 2018, a 72-year-old man died of a haemorrhage due to a delay in surgery. After he arrived at the hospital, it took almost an hour for him to be diagnosed. There is clearly a need for more doctors and quicker triage.

Telemedicine, which allows patients to be diagnosed remotely via electronic communication, is the most efficient way to address these issues. Patients consult physicians via video conference. Patients can send photos of the area needing treatment to specialised health care professionals for a quick digital diagnosis.

E-consultation would help classify patients by severity, reducing the number of people in hospital waiting rooms. This would benefit patients who urgently need monitoring and care. Patients who lack mobility or the resources to travel would also benefit from this system.

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