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Remorse reflected: Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong says the SARS outbreak has been a traumatic experience for Hong Kong and we must learn from it to prevent similar occurrences. |
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Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong has apologised to the community over the SARS outbreak and for misunderstandings that arose during it.
As an accountable Principal Official, he accepted full responsibility for the inadequacies in our medical and healthcare system.
"I remain deeply saddened by the deaths caused by the outbreak. And I would like to offer once again my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones and to those who have suffered adversity as a consequence of the disease," he said.
Dr Yeoh said he felt sorry "for the inability of the health care system to comprehensively halt the spread of the disease in the early stages, and for any misunderstandings I might have caused in communicating with the public".
A traumatic experience
Dr Yeoh said he has seriously considered resigning to show accountability, but believed a better option will be to stay on and improve the contagious disease control system.
The SARS experience has been very traumatic and the lesson very expensive, so Hong Kong must make good use of it to benefit our future.
Hong Kong's dense population and the ease in which people travel to and from our city, makes us extremely susceptible to the threat and full impact of new infectious diseases such as SARS.
"Therefore, it is of utmost importance to transform our disease surveillance, prevention and control system," Dr Yeoh said.
"Because little was known about a new virus during the initial stages of the outbreak, our health care system was not well prepared to tackle a disease outbreak of this size and nature."
He said officials had to act very quickly to improve the system and to control the spread of the disease.
"My colleagues and I worked around the clock and did all that was humanly possible."
All recommendations accepted
Dr Yeoh accepts all 46 recommendations of the SARS Expert Committee and will listen to public views with an open mind.
In recent months, Dr Yeoh and his staff have worked hard to build up comprehensive prevention, close surveillance and swift control measures.
They have also been working closely with different sectors and trades in the community, and enlisted their help to maintain a high level of preparedness against SARS.
"The SARS experience has been a very humbling one and I am determined to assimilate the lessons learnt," he said.
Proactive disease control measures to be taken
Director of Health Dr Lam Ping-yan said the Department of Health will implement a series of measures to prevent and control the spread of SARS and other infectious diseases. They include:
* Enhancing communication and co-operation with neighbours, such as immediate notification among Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong authorities when cases of infectious disease of unknown causes emerge;
* Implementing an enhanced contingency response plan;
* Strengthening co-operation and collaboration with the Hospital Authority, private hospitals and the medical profession;
* Re-organising the department for more efficient control of disease;
* Conducting a global hunt for epidemiologists and virologists for our new framework;
* Strengthening liaision, co-operation and training with the US' Centres for Disease Control & Prevention, and the UK's Health Protection Agency; and,
* Strengthening co-operation with local universities including in applied research activities.
Dr Lam believed the health protection framework recommended by the Expert Committee will significantly enhance Hong Kong's surge capability to combat infectious diseases. He said it will start operating as soon as possible.
A tribute to all who helped
Dr Lam said that throughout the outbreak, various Government departments mobilised maximum manpower and resources to combat the disease.
"Frontline workers, particularly health care staff and volunteer groups, fought tirelessly with all their might. Their contributions deserve our recognition," he said.
Recommendations to be followed up
Hospital Authority Chairman Dr Leong Che-hung and Chief Executive Dr William Ho said they will study in detail and follow up the recommendations of the SARS Expert Committee Report.
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