Coronavirus: top Hong Kong medical school flouts health guidelines as it lets staff working on mainland to skip quarantine
- University of Hong Kong exempts staff sent to Shenzhen from recommended 14-day isolation period
- Instead university has asked them to sign form and pledge to get regular checks
Hong Kong’s top medical school has come under fire for flouting the government’s health guidelines designed to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has decided to exempt staff members who travelled to a mainland Chinese hospital for work from the recommended 14-day quarantine.
Two medical sources confirmed to the Post on Friday that the university’s Faculty of Medicine had written to its staff working in its HKU-Shenzhen Hospital asking them to observe a 14-day self-isolation period after returning from the mainland, in line with the travel and health advice given by the city’s officials to visitors crossing the border.
But, the medical school later reversed its position and told staff to sign a declaration form to exempt themselves from the requirement, and pledge to four conditions including daily ear temperature check by the department, daily report on any fever or respiratory symptoms, wear a mask at all times at work or in dormitories, carry alcoholic hand rub and clean their hands before eating or touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
The HKU-SZ hospital has admitted patients infected with the new coronavirus, which has infected 12 people in Hong Kong and killed more than 200 on the mainland.
A source said 10 or so medical professors travelled to the mainland hospital regularly to treat patients and do clinical work as part of their contracts, but many expressed concern about the quarantine they said posed health and work problems, and asked for a suspension of the cross-border work duty.
“Instead of addressing their concerns, the university asked staff members to sign an exemption form that flies in the face of the government guidelines, and increases public health risks of a community transmission,” the source said.
A doctor from Queen Mary Hospital, an HKU teaching hospital, also expressed concern over the latest arrangement by the medical school, as there could be an outbreak of cases in Shenzhen.
“What do you think about the potential infectious risk, especially when [those doctors] come back to Queen Mary Hospital for work after they return from Shenzhen?” the doctor said.
The Post has approached HKU for comment, but it had not replied by press time.
So far, the neighbouring Guangdong province has reported 436 confirmed cases, including 134 in Shenzhen.
However, Professor David Hui Shu-cheong of Chinese University had no problem with HKU’s stance.
“Those going to HKU-Shenzhen Hospital are [doctors] who have received training in infection control,” Hui said. “If they have done all the necessary preventive measures, that should be fine.”
Local health authorities have advised Hongkongers returning from the mainland, other than Hubei province which was the epicentre of the outbreak, to stay at home for 14 days and wear a mask when going outside. Those returning from Hubei would be placed in quarantine.
Those who had symptoms of either fever, acute respiratory illness or pneumonia, and had been to a mainland hospital would also be required to report to the health authorities as a suspected case of the coronavirus infection.
