As I see it | Mainland Chinese risking health to help Hong Kong shouldn’t be viewed with jaundiced eyes
- Health professionals from across the border have come to help Hong Kong, despite long hours, risks to their health and even discrimination. Cattiness is uncalled for
- Criticising them is like questioning the credentials of a lifeguard as he tries to save a drowning person
But news this week left me with little doubt that mainland health professionals are being viewed with jaundiced eyes even before they have had the chance to help Hong Kong contain its worst outbreak since 2020.
As the 75 doctors and nurses arrived on Monday, questions were raised about what would happen in the case of medical mishaps or accidents being caused by these new arrivals.
These concerns have prompted Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority to state that the health professionals – from top hospitals in Guangdong – will be treated as “honorary staff” and that the authority will take “ultimate responsibility” for any mishaps.
Amid a severe manpower shortage, the health professionals – including another 300 who arrived midweek – will initially provide treatment at AsiaWorld-Expo, which mainly handles elderly patients without severe symptoms.
The concern over medical mishaps is valid given the high number of Covid-19 fatalities in the territory – 5,136 as of Thursday, said to be the highest mortality rate in the world at the moment.