Covid-19: Mainland Chinese medical staff ‘working at full capacity’ in Hong Kong treatment centre, with more patients set to be taken in
- City officials say authorities aim to increase number of elderly patients at AsiaWorld-Expo facility by 80 per cent over the next two weeks
- New system interface, language input and templates in Chinese introduced for mainland doctors, according to Hospital Authority’s Dr Larry Lee
About 500 medical staff from mainland China have started working at full capacity at one of Hong Kong’s coronavirus treatment centres as of Monday after becoming accustomed to the local systems and procedures.
City officials said authorities also aimed to boost the number of elderly patients at the AsiaWorld-Expo facility by 80 per cent over the next two weeks.
According to Hospital Authority Chief Manager Dr Larry Lee Lap-yip, mainland doctors and nurses who arrived in two batches over the past week have bolstered the site’s treatment capacity of elderly patients.
“With 20 [local] doctors and around 100 nurses initially, our operation capacity was that of six geriatric wards. Now with almost 500 more medical professionals from the mainland operating in full capacity today, we can take in more patients,” he said.
The Hospital Authority aims to accommodate up to 450 patients over the next two weeks, with the facility currently treating about 250 patients in four of its halls.
The Social Welfare Department also manages an additional five halls as isolation facilities, with the site focusing on housing elderly Covid-19 patients with chronic illness.
Elderly coronavirus patients required more manpower to care for them as they were often bedridden and needed assistance to eat, Lee said.
The health official said the biggest challenge for the new collaborative arrangement involved mainland medical professionals adjusting to local computer management systems and prescription procedures.