Medical waste piling up amid scarce cleaners

Medical waste including those disposed from isolation wards treating Covid patients has piled up outside a tin house at Caritas Medical Centre due to manpower shortage, potentially leading to transmission risks, says a hospital unionist.

Hospital Authority Supporting Grades Staff Association chair Anita Ng Wai-ling said on radio yesterday that some contractor cleaners have complained their companies are not providing staff - many of whom are older workers - with sufficient protective gear and so they are worried about getting infected from handling medical waste.

"I think the authority should provide those contractor cleaners with sufficient isolation gowns as they are also workers of HA," Ng said.

Ng's comment came after local media spotted hundreds red bags of rubbish piled up outside a tin house behind Caritas Medical Centre's Wai Shun Block, which accommodates inpatient wards, the accident and emergency department, intensive care unit and operating theaters.

Ng said the problem should have improved as she understands that the hospital has found other companies to clear up the rubbish.

But the situation remains unchanged, she said, adding it is the same in other public hospitals including Kwai Chung Hospital, Tin Shui Wai Hospital and Tuen Mun Hospital.

She said outbreaks have strained manpower as only three out of up to 10 cleaners in Kwai Chung Hospital are able to go to work.

"Many contractor workers have been infected, or some have quit due to the current situation, while some have been listed as close contacts, so not many workers are able to go to work," Ng said.

"Some contractors have even been urging cleaners to go to work even if they haven't completed their isolation period."

Ng said manpower shortage has also hit supportive positions like ward assistants, who take care of 40 to 50 patients each.

Respiratory disease expert Leung Chi-chiu said it is not ideal for medical waste to pile up, but "infections are serious in cleaning companies, so it's difficult for them to find more workers in a short time."

The surging number of deaths has also overwhelmed morgues as dead bodies could be seen at the accident and emergency department or temporary tents outdoors in some public hospitals, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Caritas Medical Centre.

sophie.hui@singtaonewscorp.com