Staff members of Hong Kong's Hospital Authority queue up to sign a letter of petition in support of a planned strike by hospital workers, near the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Hong Kong on Feb 4, 2020.
(ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG - Hong Kong doctors and nurses on strike were urged to return to work as scheduled non-emergency surgeries, including cesarean sections, have been delayed.
It is a critical moment for the city to fend off the disease as cases of local transmission had emerged, said a Hospital Authority official
About 4,600 workers at public hospitals, including some 2,700 nurses, were going on strike since Monday. They were calling for a total shutdown of the border with the Chinese mainland to curb the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.
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At a media briefing on Wednesday, Ian Cheung Tsz-fung, chief manager of the Hospital Authority, said surgeries for some patients could not be delayed, adding that some public hospitals have seen half of its nursing staff absent from emergency services, neonatal intensive care units and surgery rooms.
Cheung said it was a critical moment for the city to fend off the outbreak as cases of local transmission had emerged. He urged employees to set aside disputes and fight the virus together.
He also thanked those who had stayed on duty to maintain emergency services as far as possible.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, the Hospital Authority said Accident and Emergency Department at public hospitals would only be able to provide emergency services, appealing to patients with mild condition to seek consultation at private hospitals and doctors.
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Specialist Outpatient Clinics can provide limited services and patients are advised to reschedule their appointments by contacting the clinics. Patients can also go to the clinics to refill their drugs if required, according to the statement.
