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Written by: Li Enci, Zheng Cuibi
2019-12-27 19:20
Last updated: 2019-12-27 19:20The peak of winter flu has not yet arrived. The demand of public hospitals has already burst to a full diarrhea. The shortage of medical beds in Caritas Medical Center is the most serious. The bed occupancy rate has dropped from the overall level. This month, it has been the highest in Hong Kong for 13 consecutive days.
At the end of the Christmas holiday, the reporter of "Hong Kong 01" went to the Caritas Medical Centre this afternoon (27th) and went directly to the medical ward. Among the 7 medical wards, at least 4 extra beds were added to the corridor and near the door. Two female medical and geriatric wards were the most crowded, with more than ten temporary beds each opened, occupying more than 120%. Some temporary beds face the door of the ward, and some mothers-in-law have to sleep in a nearby bed.
The reporter compiled the data and charts of the public court this month to show how Caritas Medical is prospering.
In December this year, Caritas Hospital has 50 to 100 people going to the internal medicine ward via the Accident and Emergency Department every day. That is, the number of patients in one or two additional wards will be admitted to the internal medicine department every day. On the 16th of this month, it broke the 100-person barrier, reaching 101. Caritas Hospital's medical bed occupancy rate continues to be high, rarely falling through 120% throughout the month, which is much higher than the overall hospital medical bed occupancy rate.
Record monthly occupancy rate reaches 139%
Caritas Hospital became the busiest hospital in Hong Kong for 13 consecutive days (December 11 to December 23). The occupancy rate on the 16th was as high as 139%, and the occupancy rates on the 15th and 23rd were 136%, respectively. Imagine the high degree of crowding.
"Hong Kong 01" reporter went to Caritas Hospital this afternoon to go straight to the medical ward. Among the 7 medical wards, at least 4 wards have extra beds to the corridor near the door and the toilet door. The situation in the upper 2 wards is particularly severe.
Extra beds in some female medical and geriatric wards at Caritas Medical Centre. (Hong Kong 01 drawing)
A ward plus 14 makeshift beds with mother-in-law walking a few steps from the bathroom door
One of Caritas's internal medical high-rise B wards had 6 cells, each with 8 beds, or 48 beds; 14 temporary beds, or 62 beds, were added to the corridor, and the occupancy rate was close to 130%. Temporary beds are located in every corner of the ward, and there are 1 or 2 outside each ward. In order not to block the door of the ward, the end of some temporary beds is almost close to the head of the front bed, which is very crowded. There are three temporary beds facing the door of the ward. Patients need to face the medical staff and the patient's family members to get in and out, only a few steps away from the toilet door. In addition, several temporary beds were also opened next to the nurses' station and treatment room. The atmosphere in the ward was "lively".
The layout of high-rise A ward and high-rise B ward is similar. There were originally 48 beds, and 12 temporary beds were opened today, with an occupancy rate of 125%. One or two temporary beds were placed outside each ward, one of which was located right in front of the toilet door. Two temporary beds were placed at the end of the corridor, and the patients were close enough to easily shake hands; the two patients were lying on the bed during a direct attack by the reporter, and they chatted.
Rehabilitation beds are tight and patients cannot be removed as soon as possible
The chairman of the Public Medical Doctors Association, Ma Zhongyi, said that the overcrowding of internal medicine at Caritas Hospital has been going on for some time. She explained that Caritas is located in Sham Shui Po District and there are many elderly people. In recent years, many public housing estates and elderly homes have been completed in the district, bringing many new patients to the hospital.
In addition, she also mentioned that Notre Dame Hospital could originally provide rehabilitation services for patients in the Kowloon West Hospital network. However, in recent years, due to the reorganization of the network, Notre Dame Hospital was transferred to the Kowloon Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Network. . Due to the tight supply of rehabilitation beds at Caritas Hospital, patients with stable acute and internal medical conditions cannot be transferred to the rehabilitation wards as soon as possible, and disguised medical bed flow is slowed down.
She emphasized that if the government does not plan hospitals according to the population and elderly proportion in the district, the annual bed occupancy rate of some hospitals will remain high.
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Hospital Authority Caritas Hospital