Joint statement from over 400 hospital health care workers urging immediate border closure
Post Editorial Note: The negotiation between the Hong Kong government and the newly-formed Hospital Authority Employees Alliance eventually broke down. Thousands of medical workers have gone on a five day strike from 3 February, demanding the border with mainland China be completely closed to reduce the risk of the new coronavirus spreading.
There is another petition from health care workers, after Ruttonjee Hospital, demanding the immediate closure of crossings bordering China and repatriate visitors from Hubei like what the Macau government is doing. The signatories stressed that while it was not possible to get prepared during the SARS outbreak, "In this epidemic, we still have room to prepare for and control the outbreak. If the government continues to procrastinate and once the opportunity is gone, the situation will be grave for all 7 million Hong Kong citizens!" The statement avows that if the government ignores the concerns and advice from health care workers, signatories to the petition will take any actions that conforms to their professional ethics and safeguarded by labour laws, including work strikes, "to force the government to take the right move to close the border as an epidemic prevention measure".
Over 400 from 4 hospitals in Hong Kong West Cluster signed the petition
A total of 401 signed the statement with their full names. (The full statement and list of petitioners is attached). Petitioning doctors pointed out that every name has been checked for authenticity. The petition was signed by doctors, nurses, allied health professionals (such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists), health care assistants and clerks. They all come from the department of internal medicine of the 4 hospitals in Hong Kong West Cluster namely Queen Mary Hospital, Grantham Hospital, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Fung Yiu King Hospital and Tung Wah Hospital. Among them are 79 doctors and 3 professors (from the University of Hong Kong) including Prof Lai Ching Lung, a hepatology guru and chair professor of internal medicine and hepatology; Prof Daniel Chan, a nephrology guru and chair professor of internal medicine; and Dr Susanna Lau, department head of microbiology.
More than 80 are practicing physicians or professors
The statement stated that as internal medicine health care workers, they are already seeing a huge number of patients and the spreading of the virus is fast. However, the government is not acting constructively. "The opportunity must not be missed and time waits for no one." They put forward four demands based on their medical knowledge and clinical experiences. These demands include:
(1) To incorporate the recommendation by the Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association to strengthen border control and close all border crossings to mainland China, allowing only Hong Kong citizens and mainlanders with work or study visas to enter Hong Kong.
(2) Taking reference from the Macau government, to examine visitors from Hubei who are already in Hong Kong. If they have no symptoms, they may voluntarily leave Hong Kong. Otherwise a 14 day stay in a quarantine centre shall be mandated.
(3) To supply health care workers with adequate personal protective equipment that are up to WHO standards. In addition, to ensure isolation facilities are up to international standards.
(4) To promote counter epidemic measures among all citizens including use of face masks in public areas, frequent hand washing and maintaining environmental hygiene. In addition, to ensure Hong Kong citizens access to epidemic prevention equipment such as alcohol gel and face masks at reasonable prices.
The statement asserts that the objective of the demands is to avoid non-Hong Kong residents being pulled by the system to come to Hong Kong seeking health care treatment.
Another objective is to delay community outbreak and to contain the scale of the local epidemic. It points out that this epidemic is different from the SARS epidemic 17 years ago. "We still have room to prepare for and control the epidemic." They warn if the government continues to procrastinate and once the opportunity is gone, the situation will be grave for all 7 million Hong Kong citizens.
The petitioners stated that to demonstrate their resolution and strong voice, "if the government ignores our recommendation, we will take any actions that conforms to our professional ethics and safeguarded by labour laws, including work strikes, to force the government to take the right move to close the border as an epidemic prevention measure to defend 7 million Hong Kong citizens!”
30 January 2020
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