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Following is a question by the Hon Emily Lau and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (May 14):
Question :
Since the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, there have been incessant cases of health care personnel of public hospitals being infected with the disease and their making telephone calls to radio programmes to complain about the shortage and poor quality of the protective gear (including clothing) the Hospital Authority ("HA") has supplied to them. In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council whether:
(a) they know the dates on which HA placed orders for protective gear and the ordering details, the reasons for keeping a stock of protective gear for 14 days' consumption only, and whether HA has assessed if the stock level is sufficient to cope with contingencies; if an assessment has been made, of the results;
(b) they know the difficulties HA has encountered in ordering protective gear, the measures HA has adopted to ensure that the goods supplied are up to standard, how it deals with the substandard goods; and the total quantity and value of the substandard goods; and
(c) they have conducted a review to see if there are problems in HA's middle management and its mechanism for ordering materials, which have led to complaints by frontline staff about the inadequate supply of protective gear; if so, of the findings of the review; if not, whether and when such a review will be conducted?
Reply :
Madam President,
(a) Currently, the Hospital Authority (HA) has ample stock of protective gears, such as goggles, masks, jackets and trousers, gowns, disposable caps and gloves, to meet the needs of its frontline staff. Supply is steady, and HA replenishes its stock of protective gears every week. HA also monitors the stock kept by hospitals every day and adjusts the rolling stocks constantly in accordance with hospital demands. In view of the need for contingency planning, HA keeps a stock of 14 days of protective gears. Having regard to the supply schedule of protective gears, such a stock level should provide HA with sufficient buffer against unexpected surges in demand, particularly in the light of the recent trend of new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases. Through our day-to-day contact with HA, the Bureau is being kept posted about the supply of standard items of protective gears, and understands that HA is taking appropriate action to ensure adequate supply. The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau also has access to the dates and details of procurement of protective gears by HA.
(b) HA has so far not encountered any particular difficulties in the procurement of recommended standard items of protective gears for different level of risks. There are however pressure areas in the procurement of certain protective gears (such as N95 masks) to address needs which go beyond the recommended standard of protection. HA's current supplier of N95 masks has indicated that it would not be able to supply in the near future the quantity ordered by HA in respect of N95 masks in the small size. HA is actively exploring alternative suppliers for the supply of small-sized N95 masks to meet demand in excess of the recommended standards.
All protective gears supplied to HA are subject to random sample checks to ensure compliance with order specifications and the quality of gears procured. Gears that fail to satisfy HA's quality requirement or order specifications will be rejected. So far, HA found 400 000 surgical masks worth $250,000 from a supplier failed to comply with the order specifications. HA has suspended all purchases from this supplier, and this case has been reported to the Police for investigation. HA will consider taking further action against the supplier in the light of the outcome of the investigation by the Police.
(c) HA has set up a Working Group on Supplies and Environmental Control to strengthen its supplies management in the fight against SARS. The Working Group has reviewed the problems relating to the supply of protective gears for frontline staff. The Working Group identified, among others, that there is room for improvement in the communication between the middle management at the ward level in a few hospitals with both frontline staff and the Supplies Office in HA's Head Office. To rectify the situation, the Hospital Chief Executives of these hospitals have already put in place mechanisms to ensure effective communication among the parties concerned. The middle management of these hospitals will proactively communicate with frontline staff regarding their concern pertaining to the supply of necessary protective gears to ensure work safety, and report unresolved issues/problems to the attention of the senior management. The hospitals concerned have been advised to communicate closely with the Supplies Office in HA's Head Office on their requirements for protective gears. The Working Group will monitor the effectiveness of the new mechanisms on a regular basis and suggest further improvements where necessary.
HA has also set up a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 24-hour hotline to enhance communication with frontline staff. Feedback and suggestions from staff would be referred to relevant clusters and hospitals for immediate follow-up action.
End/Wednesday, May 14, 2003
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