Mainland medics to consult local staff before making medical decisions: doctors' association

Mainland medics who arrived in Hong Kong helping with the Covid fight will have to consult local medical staff before making any medical decisions, said Tony Ling Siu-chi, Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association president.  

His comment came as a team of 75 medical workers from the mainland arrived in Hong Kong on Monday to help the SAR fight the coronavirus outbreak. They will work at the community treatment facility at the AsiaWorld-Expo on Lantau.  

Speaking on a radio program on Tuesday morning, Ling said it was understood that the Mainland medics will be responsible for taking care of some of the patients at the facility, but they will have to consult with local medical staff before making any medical decisions.  

They include the prescription of medicine and patient discharge, said Ling.  

He also noted that even though the Mainland medics were mainly from Guangdong and were familiar with Cantonese, there could still be difficulties for them when asking about patients’ medical records.  

Meanwhile, a Hospital Authority spokesperson said yesterday that the mainland medical officers were employed as honorary staff, whose insurance coverage relating to patients was the same as that given to its employees.  

The authority would bear ultimate responsibility for any issues relating to treatment that arose, the spokesperson added.