Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan today visited Sai Wan Ho Market and Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Eastern District.

Prof Chan viewed escalator replacement works at the Sai Wan Ho Market & Cooked Food Centre, where she chatted with stall operators to understand their business situation.

She explained that the Government seeks to attract more visitors to public markets by improving the operating condition of stalls.

She added that old escalators and lifts are being replaced in phases, and the works will be completed in the coming years.

At the hospital, Prof Chan visited its Accident & Emergency Department's hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) centre, which she said is the first such centre established inside a hospital in Hong Kong.

“HBOT was previously only available in a centre on Stonecutters Island, where the relatively remote location made patient transfer risky. Receiving treatment at a centre in a hospital definitely facilitates recovery of patients.

“Currently, patients of 13 types of diseases are eligible for HBOT treatment, including emergency cases like carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression illness, as well as chronic diseases like diabetes and delayed radiation injuries,” she added.

Prof Chan then chatted with front-line staff to understand their daily work.

During her visit, she also called on Eastern District Council members to exchange views on healthcare and environmental hygiene issues.