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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) today (February 10) appeals to the general public for cooperation and understanding amid the need to re-schedule non-emergency services in public hospitals and also the protracted waiting time for non-urgent patients in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments during the current peak season of influenza.
In view of the arrival of influenza peak season, coupled with the persistent cold weather lately, a series of contingent measures have already been implemented in public hospitals to cope with the surge in hospital admission and attendance in A&E departments.
The HA Director of Cluster Services, Dr Cheung Wai-lun, said, "Facing with the influenza peak and persistent cold weather, there is a higher chance for the chronically ill and elderly to require hospital admission. We observe there is a climbing rate of admission to the medical wards recently. With the surge in demand, non-emergency procedures and surgeries have to be re-scheduled in public hospitals, while there would be longer waiting time for A&E patients who are triaged as non-urgent cases. However, emergency services such as cancer surgery, emergency cardiac surgery, and life-threatening surgeries related to limbs or organs would definitely remain normal."
According to the latest statistics in the past week, the average occupancy rate for medical beds in public hospitals has been saturated. Some of the hospitals have even recorded an occupancy rate of over 100%, these are Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, Caritas Medical Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Pok Oi Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Tuen Mun Hospital and United Christian Hospital. Regarding the service demand in A&E departments, the average daily attendance has reached over 6,000 cases in the past week.
In anticipation of further surge in admission to medical wards, the following contingency measures have been put in place in public hospitals:
* Re-scheduling of elective admissions in obstetric and gynaecology, orthopaedic and traumatology and surgery departments;
* Implementing overflow of patients to less busy wards;
* Opening extra beds;
* Enhancing diagnostic and pathology support;
* Enhancing senior coverage and ward rounds;
* Full utilisation of observation function in A&E departments to prevent avoidable admission;
* Providing special honorarium and leave encashment for health care workers and deployment of clerical and supporting staff to pressure areas; and
* Arranging members of Auxiliary Medical Service to provide supporting service at A&E departments, such as crowd control and answering patients' general enquiry.
Dr Cheung also reminded the public on appropriate use of A&E services. "Members of the public are advised to first seek consultation at general out-patient clinic or family doctor for minor ailment to avoid long queuing time at busy A&E departments. Our priority is to ensure early and prompt treatment for the critical and urgent patients under the triage mechanism."
Ends/Friday, February 10, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:10
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