Coronavirus: Chinese state leader slams Hong Kong private hospitals over reluctance to admit Covid-19 patients

Vice-Premier Han Zheng criticised the private hospitals during a meeting in Beijing on Sunday with Hong Kong delegates to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation’s top advisory body.

According to CPPCC deputy Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, Han, the state leader overseeing Hong Kong affairs, accused the hospitals of going against the medical sector’s mission of saving lives because of their reluctance to open their doors to more coronavirus patients.

“The vice-premier said he saw on the internet that private hospitals in Hong Kong had refused to take in Covid-19 patients, and asked if that was true,” Pang added.

“The delegates said yes, and Han replied: ‘How is that possible? That is not right, how can a city only rely on the government’s hospitals to fight the pandemic? Even [during the first coronavirus outbreak] in Wuhan in 2020, all public and private hospitals were involved.’”

Pang said the vice-premier also expressed hopes that various sectors in Hong Kong would unite in support of government efforts and not “harbour emotions of weariness” in the fight against Covid-19.

Another delegate, David Lie Tai-chong, said Han was critical of medical professionals in private hospitals.