Holiday rush spurs call not to swamp public hospitals

Patients with only mild illnesses are urged to consult their family doctors or go to general outpatient clinics as the new year holiday brought no rest for public hospital, with the occupancy rate of medical wards hitting 110 percent.

The chairman of the Hospital Authority Central Coordinating Committee of Accident and Emergency, Axel Siu Yuet-chung, said yesterday an average of 5,600 patients went to accident and emergency wards from Saturday to New Year's Day.

And Tuesday was even worse, as more than 6,700 patients sought help - 20 percent higher than past holiday peaks, putting huge pressure on medics.

"As we are now two days past the new year holiday, people who traveled overseas will gradually return and we expect there will be even more patients seeking help at hospitals," Siu said.

"We have adopted a series of measures to handle the situation. We deployed more manpower and increased the hospital beds. As we expect there will be more senior patients during the flu peak period, we are also getting geriatric colleagues to take care of them in emergency rooms," he said.

Siu expressed regret that patients have had to wait a few more hours at emergency rooms lately and hope for their understanding as medics are trying their best to help patients, especially those with serious illnesses.

If patients find their condition is getting worse or they are developing new symptoms during long waits, they should find medics in charge of triage to re-evaluate their condition, he said.

He urged those with only mild symptoms to help conserve resources for those in need of urgent care.

People were also encouraged to receive a flu vaccine as soon as possible, as hospitals have seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in flu diagnoses.

Getting vaccinated can reduce the possibility of developing serious illnesses and spreading viruses to others, as well ease the pressure on frontline medical workers.

Siu reminded the elderly and people with diminished immunity systems to avoid going to crowded places or to wear masks in public areas.

And he reiterated that people should match their attire with the constant weather changes.