Hong Kong steps up mental health support for Tai Po fire victims
About two-thirds of patients injured in last week’s fire at Wang Fuk Court have been discharged from hospitals, authorities also reveal
Hong Kong authorities will step up mental health support for people affected by the Tai Po fire, the city’s deadliest blaze in several decades, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced, with about two-thirds of patients having been discharged from hospitals.
Speaking at a press conference 10 days after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, Secretary of Health Lo Chung-mau said on Friday that all 79 patients admitted to hospital due to the fire were considered no longer at risk, but noted some expressed feelings of guilt or suffered insomnia and anxiety because they were unsure about their future.
Forty-nine of the patients had already been discharged, he said, adding that among those remaining in hospital, six were still in serious conditions and the other 24 were stable.
City leader Lee said the demand for psychological support was so strong that an NGO had received 600 calls for help at one stage.
“Everyone is experiencing this fire. The whole of society is emanating sadness. I am concerned about those affected and the whole society’s mental health services and support, [and] how to improve,” he said, adding that authorities had put in place other support measures for affected residents.
He promised to take action at the first Legislative Council meeting following the election on December 7 by pushing through systemic reforms to plug loopholes in the construction sector’s practices.