Coronavirus: Hong Kong doctors and nurses working in Shenzhen hospital risk it all with plan to treat patients in Wuhan
- Poon Tak-lun, of University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, says team of 60 doctors, nurses wants to be airlifted into epicentre of outbreak
A Hong Kong-run hospital in Shenzhen is in talks with mainland Chinese authorities over a plan to send a team of doctors and nurses including Hongkongers to treat patients in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, the Post has learned.
Dr Poon Tak-lun, in charge of the Department of Rehabilitation at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, is among those volunteering to go to the central Chinese city.
He told the Post on Friday that around 60 doctors and nurses were planning to fly to Wuhan, led by hospital head Professor Lo Chung-mau. Some are from respiratory medicine and intensive care units, while the rest are from various other departments.
“One of our aims is to relieve the work pressure of the frontline medical staff there,” he said. “We want to show that Hongkongers care about the epidemic on the mainland. Hong Kong doctors and nurses care about patients, including those on the mainland.”
The team, with 12 doctors from the city, will go to Wuhan Asia General Hospital, founded by Hong Kong businessman Tse Chun-ming to offer help, Poon said. The initial plan is to stay for a week.