Private doctors have been serving Hong Kong amid pandemic: lawmaker

Private doctors have been on Hong Kong's side in the fight against the pandemic, said medical and health services sector lawmaker David Lam Tzit-yuen following reports that some clinics reject Covid-19 patients. 

In an opinion piece published on Tuesday, Lam, who is also a private doctor, said his kind has been treating Covid patients and those who suffer from a fever all this time, although the guidelines from the Department of Health advise against this. 

The controversy came under the spotlight after Chinese vice-premier Han Zheng said he was concerned about the rumors that private doctors were rejecting the city's Covid patients and urged them to join the anti-pandemic fight alongside public hospitals. 

Lam explained that official guidelines from the government state that when an infected patient is identified at a clinic, the patient has to be quarantined in a room as the clinic notifies the department. 

The clinic will need to undergo thorough disinfection, Lam continued and added that he has never heard of any changes to the guidelines since the fifth wave of the outbreak. 

He called on the industry to separate Covid patients from the others when treating them so as to avoid any community outbreak. 

Lam challenged those who criticized private doctors and said, "Are you encouraging the 'living with Covid' strategy by telling infected patients to roam the city and share the same clinics in the community with other patients?" 

Lam urged the society to join forces together to face their common enemy instead of attacking each other. 

Henry Leung Hon-fai, president of the Hong Kong Doctors Union, admitted some private clinics recently rejected patients suffering from fever, flu, and vomiting because the doctors didn't have sufficient protective gear. 

He added the medical chain he works for already saw over 20 medics infected with Covid, leading to the suspension of clinics. 

Due to the worsening situation, the group allows doctors to decide on their own whether to see a patient face-to-face. Some choose to meet patients via video conference. 

Leung also noted that the supply of medicine is minimal at the moment. Some doctors cannot even purchase painkillers as more citizens get their prescriptions at private clinics. 

Gabriel Choi Kin, president of the Hong Kong Medical Association, is infected and now staying at home. He suspected he caught the coronavirus at his clinic from patients and said he would return to work after recovery. 

Due to a shortage of manpower, Choi will remain in charge of the association's anti-epidemic team from home and answer citizens' questions on two WhatsApp numbers provided by the association: 6557 4435 and 6556 2436. Citizens can text their questions to the numbers, seeking advice on what to do when they notice certain symptoms. 

At the same time, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong said they will provide 50 beds to admit patients transferred from public hospitals, and some 100 patients from public hospitals have been hospitalized or received day-care treatment services. 

The hospital added it has been providing outpatient services to Covid patients with mild symptoms, and the services have gone online starting this month for those undergoing home isolation. 

In a media session Wednesday morning, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she met representatives of private hospitals last night and proposed four demands. 

She asked the hospitals to admit non-Covid patients from public hospitals and to take care of elderly people waiting for admission or discharge. 

They should also provide medical treatment to infected patients with mild symptoms and set up support hotlines for quarantined citizens. 

Most representatives believed they could meet authorities' demands, but some voiced concerns about a possible outbreak in private clinics.