Man from Pakistan spent almost 20 years unaware how sick he was – because he didn’t realise Hong Kong public hospitals provide interpreters
- Many patients who know little English or Chinese are left in the dark about their diagnoses because they don’t know interpreters are available
- A move to give patients the initiative in booking interpreters aims to make better use of the service, which hospital staff often decline to call on
For almost two decades, Ali (not his real name) was never clear about how ill he was or how he had been treated, despite regular follow-ups in hospitals.
An Urdu-speaker with little English or Chinese, the security guard, 44, was unaware Hong Kong’s public hospitals provide interpretation services for free.
The turning point came in January 2017, when Ali fainted at work and was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei.
He had no idea what examinations he went through or what the results were. He was simply told he had “blood sugar”.
An NGO contacted hospital staff for translation, but an interpreter did not come until the last day of his stay. Ali said the nurses were not keen to book the service, saying it sufficed he could speak simple English.
“I felt helpless,” says Ali, who was diagnosed with diabetes and heart problems.
“In the first few days, I reflected on my poor education and how I couldn’t speak English very well. I wanted to say so many things but I couldn’t.”