Page 13 - Sphere No.9 (Sep 2003)

S PHERE
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people, representing the community
at large. They gave generously,
collectively donating (through their
employers) a considerable sum in the
fight against SARS.
Apart from the HK$177,000
contributed by PNS’s staff, HKE’s
employees donated more than $132,000
to the HKHA Charitable Foundation.
The staff at Hongkong International
Terminals (HIT) meanwhile showed
their support for neighbouring Princess
Margaret Hospital, collecting
HK$102,500 to help purchase protective
suits for the health workers. HIT
matched the amount donated by its staff,
bringing the total to HK$205,000.
Additionally, the Community Caring
Group (CCG) – a staff volunteer group
of HIT – launched a “Courtesy
Telephone Calls” project to advise and
remind the elderly on SARS-
preventative measures. The CCG also
made a separate donation to buy surgical
facemasks for the elderly.
SILVER LINING
A collective sigh of relief greeted the
announcement by theWHO on June 23
that Hong Kong was at last free of SARS.
In the short term, SARS has taken a
heavy toll, not only in terms of the tragic
loss of human life, but also on the
economic well-being of the city.Yet the
community has again shown its resilience
in the face of adversity. The crisis has
focused attention on the already word-
class health system in ways that will pave
the way to permanent improvements for
the management of all diseases.
For the first time in history, the full
might of the world’s scientific
community worked together to identify,
isolate and eradicate the SARS virus, and
Hong Kong scientists played a significant
role, being the first to identify SARS as
a strain of the corona virus.
“While we count the human and
economic cost of the SARS outbreak we
should also acknowledge the good
things that have come out of it,” said
Director of Health Dr Margaret Chan,
citing “the individual acts of heroism and
charity, the collective will to win the
battle, the stronger sense of community,
and the increased understanding of
the importance of personal and
environmental hygiene.”
Visitors have started coming back to
this world famous destination while
Hong Kong residents are getting on
with business in a cleaner and more
caring post-SARS environment.
W hile tourists and
business travellers
avoided the territory,
school children stayed at home and
the rest of the community
hunkered down, Hong Kong’s health
workers laboured round the clock
to beat SARS. Amid all the suffering
and fear that the disease created,
they persevered with quiet courage.
Their bravery became an example
and an inspiration to everyone.
This remarkable group of
professionals put their own lives at
risk in order to help others at a
time when very little was known
about the virus. Many were
separated from their own families in
order to protect their loved ones
from coming into contact with the
virus. More than a quarter of total
cases were medical staff, and some
of them paid the ultimate price.
By the time the SARS outbreak
had been brought under control,
386 healthcare workers had
contracted the disease and eight
had died – four doctors, three
healthcare assistants and a nurse.
Acknowledging the vital role of
the medical fraternity, many
donations were specifically targeted
to help frontline medical staff, and
HWL had no hesitation in
contributing HK$200,000 to the
“Hong Kong is Our Home” fund to
show its support.
Meanwhile, Mr Li Ka-shing
donated one million oranges to all
healthcare workers through the Li
Ka Shing Foundation, which is a
major and long-standing contributor
to health-care initiatives in both
Hong Kong and the Mainland.
“All front-line medical workers
are facing up to unprecedented
challenges and enduring a very
heavy workload without any
complaints,” Mr Li said. “They are
doing their very best to serve the
public and are demonstrating the
highest standards of medical ethics
and professionalism.”
The oranges were shipped in
from the US and were the
equivalent of around 20 days’ supply
for all 50,000 healthcare workers.
Other than providing a source
of Vitamin C to help boost their
immunity, the donation was
intended to convey a heartfelt
message of support and to show
how much the dedication and
self-sacrifice of healthcare workers
is appreciated.
Hong Kong’s medical workers
also won the highest praise from the
international healthcare community.
Dr David Heymann, Executive
Director of Communicable
Diseases at the World Health
Organization said that with its
dense population and fluid border
with China, Hong Kong had one of
the hardest outbreaks to control.
“Hong Kong benefited from the
contribution of its outstanding
scientists, epidemiologists, and
clinicians, who were at the forefront
of efforts to track down source cases
in the various clusters, identify the
causative agent, develop diagnostic
tests and work out treatment
protocols,” Dr Heymann said.
Hong Kong also led the way in
the control trials of drugs, trying
to determine what would work
best, Dr Heymann continued,
adding that the city’s medical
professionals had pioneered many
of the control measures used to
successfully contain smaller
outbreaks elsewhere.
“Thanks to the success of Hong
Kong the whole world can now
feel safer from the SARS threat,”
Dr Heymann said.
HOME-GROWN HEROES