Flu season hits Hong Kong hard: hospitals packed over capacity, visits to 24 hour clinics double
Hospital Authority figures show city’s public hospitals on Sunday averaged 121 per cent occupancy rate
The medical ward bed occupancy rate at a public hospital has reached a flu season high of 140 per cent, as the number of severe cases of the viral disease rose last week.
Private hospitals also saw doubled amount of patients visiting 24-hour clinics during the Lunar New Year holidays . Daily amount of patients attending public hospitals’ accident and emergency wards jumped from 5,900–daily average during non-peak period–to the highest at 7,613 on February 9.
That gave a further stretch to the capacity of public hospitals as the Hospital Authority will likely face a budget cut of HK$250 million in the coming 2016/2017 fiscal year, a source close to the matter said.
On Sunday, Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan recorded a bed occupancy rate of 140 per cent in its medical ward, according to the latest data released by the Hospital Authority. The figure was the highest this winter since daily occupancy rates were first released for the winter flu season on December 18.
The Post saw the hospital was packed to the brim. In a number of medical wards, at least 15 extra beds were set up to cope with the extra demand.
Some patients had to sleep in the gap in between two rows of beds as well as the corridor inside the wards.
“There isn’t a lot if space in between the beds,” said a Mr Chan, who’s visiting a relative at the hospital.
Demand for service was equally high in emergency room. Ms Lam, a patient at the ward, said she waited for four hours before she was attended to.
“It’s now almost six hours and I’m still waiting for my medicine,” she said.
Bed occupancy rates at eight local hospitals exceeded 120 per cent, with three – Yan Chai, United Christian Hospital and Pok Oi Hospital – topping 130 per cent. Overall, the occupancy rate at the city’s public hospitals averaged 121 per cent.
The Centre for Health Protection reported yesterday a 4-year-old girl suffering from severe flu infection. The girl, who was diagnosed with pneumonia and was in serious condition, has developed fever and cough since February 6. She was admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei last Friday and transferred to paediatric intensive care unit.
Dr Leung Chi-chiu, a specialist in respiratory medicine, said flu could trigger serious complications.
“It could lead to lung infections, such as serious pneumonia, respiratory failure...serious complications could be fatal,” said Leung, adding that patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes were more likely to develop complications and serious level of flu.
Private hospitals also reported more crowded conditions last week during the Lunar New Year holidays. Baptist Hospital and Union Hospital said to have more than 400 patients visiting their 24-hour clinics every day, against 200 during non-peak period. Some patients in Union Hospital had to wait up to five hours to see doctor in its clinic, while in usual it took less than three hours.
So far 12 people have been killed by the flu this year, with 11 of them died within the week of February 4 to 11.
“It’s still early stage of flu surge and the weather remains cold. I dare not to say we have reached the peak of flu cases. The number of flu cases might continue to go up,” said Leung.
But he stressed the flu surge this year was not particularly severe when compared to last year, in which 495 people died from flu in the first four months.
Temperature in the city has been fluctuating over the week. The mercury yesterday was 10 degrees Celsius lower than the previous day. Temperatures hovered at around 10 to 12 degrees .
Additional reporting by Owen Fung
