Medical teams from the Mainland and Hong Kong fight shoulder to shoulder with one heart and one mind
20 March 2022
As the fifth wave of the epidemic rages on, Hong Kong has seen a sudden upsurge of infected cases and an exponential increase of patients which outnumbered the capacity of the city’s healthcare system. I sincerely thank the Central Authorities for dispatching medical professionals to Hong Kong in no time. I met the Mainland medics by videoconferencing the day after their arrival (March 17) to welcome and thank them for their assistance. During the dialogue, I was not only enlightened of their professionalism and experience, but also impressed by their strong sense of enthusiasm and dedication. I would like to convey my highest respect and deepest gratitude to the medical team.
Medical elites with rich experience
Comprised of doctors, nurses, radiographers, etc. from 22 “Grade 3A” hospitals in Guangdong Province, the medical team is a backbone force of top-rated professionals. They have rich clinical experience and most of them have participated in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in regions like Guangdong and Hubei. The rich experience and professional abilities of the Country’s medical elites are indeed useful to Hong Kong. In particular, the Vice-president of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine possesses ample clinical experience in traditional Chinese medicine. There has been significant progress in the development of Chinese medicine in the Mainland and the use of Chinese medicine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients can prevent deterioration of patient condition from mild to severe. I believe that the integrated use of Chinese and western medicine will produce remarkable therapeutic results.
Embrace great mission Display national spirit
Fearless of the epidemic risk in Hong Kong, members of the medical team have set aside their work at hand and left their families behind to offer us assistance. During their stay in Hong Kong, they will be subject to closed-loop management and their movement will be greatly restricted. I am deeply moved by their sense of duty and selfless contribution. There are many touching stories reported in the media. In one case, a doctor had left her family behind to come here and her young daughter, who initially did not want to part with her mother, eventually supported her and even wrote a letter to encourage Hong Kong. In another case, a nurse had to postpone her wedding owing to her assignment to Hong Kong. These stories fully demonstrate their deep-rooted national spirit and selfless professionalism. Their acts of assistance at this critical time are indeed heartwarming.
Stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against the epidemic
Before setting off for Hong Kong, the medical team was encouraged by Mr Lei Haichao, Vice-minister of the National Health Commission, with four instructions. The first was to familarise themselves with the environment expeditiously. The second was to strengthen unity. The third was to enhance services and the fourth was to improve safety. I witness that the medical team has raced against time upon their arrival to actively familiarise themselves with the local medical environment as well as its operation mode and details in accordance with the Vice-minister’s words of encouragement. They have maintained close communication with the staff of the Hospital Authority in discussing work arrangements to meet the needs of different stages to achieve the best results possible. The two sides have indeed set a good example of mutual co-operation and support, of which I must give full recognition and testimony. On the other hand, the community should beware of irresponsible conjectures or ill-intentioned and misleading information on the social media lest our friendly relationship and good feelings will be undermined. Public opinions should serve to reinforce our efforts to combat the virus and not to dampen them.
Members of the Mainland medical team have begun working at AsiaWorld-Expo. With professionalism, experience and confidence, they play a complementary role and fight shoulder to shoulder with local healthcare professionals to achieve the synergy effect of “one plus one is greater than two”. They are indeed a godsend to Hong Kong.
