CE's transcript at Tuen Mun Hospital (with photos)

CE's transcript at Tuen Mun Hospital (with photos)
**************************************************

The following is the transcript (English portion) of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, today (November 8) at Tuen Mun Hospital after seeing the Hospital Authority's drill on the preparedness for a possible avian influenza pandemic:

Reporter: How do you find the drill… very important…?

Chief Executive: As you know, the Hospital Authority conducts many many drills. This is one of the many drills involving about 70 frontline staff with the participation of other hospitals including Princess Margaret Hospital and other hospitals as well. I think the experience is excellent. I think the drills must continue to polish the protocol, to ensure the communication between various operation units are totally in order and smooth, and all the protective measures that we have prepared are properly utilised. I think this exercise is quite good, but as I said, this is one of the many exercises we are doing.

Reporter: How did you find the drill you saw today. How has the preparedness of Hong Kong in the hospital system improved since SARS?

Chief Executive: I think we have made enormous headway since the outbreak of SARS, not just in terms of resource acquisition, deployment of resources, communication between various units, and even the equipment and facilities within the hospitals have all been improved. ICU facilities, special isolation facilities, all these are of international standard. But we are not complacent about this. We continue to learn from others’ experience, advances made elsewhere and in particular we have participate in international seminars and we are on the alert on what the WHO is going to issue on the subject. So this is a continuous process. Meanwhile we will continue to do exercises in Hong Kong at hospital level and territorial level.

Reporter: Did you find the Mainland were appropriate…?

Chief Executive: I think I am not an expert on this. This is something which has been going on all the time. One thing you have to remember, all the chickens in Hong Kong and in neighboring Guangdong are immunised. There was no incident of avian flu for the whole of last year as a result of this particular preventive measure. But we are not complacent about this. I know that avian flu occurs outside the Guangdong area and we have to continue to be on the alert.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Issued at HKT 19:02

NNNN