HA ready to face down Ebola threat
The past months have seen a flurry of activity by the Hospital Authority in response to the current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa. To ensure we are well prepared to handle any suspected or confirmed EVD cases, HA’s Central Committee for Infectious Disease and Emergency Response and infection control teams at clusters and hospitals have discussions with senior management and coordinated their efforts to develop and implement a comprehensive measures.
In an e-mail sent to all staff in mid-August, HA Chief Executive PY Leung set out HA’s response to the threat posed by the current EVD outbreak. A series of enhanced infection control measures have been initiated, which include preparing a three-month supply of standard personal protective equipment (PPE). HA Head Office will maintain close communication with staff and use channels such as a dedicated webpage, staff forums, HASLink and the ‘Pre-80s Meet Post-80s’ live broadcast programme to keep colleagues up to date with all new developments and information. The Authority will also provide psychological support for staff through a special hotline and various programmes. Relevant colleagues are already being provided with training which includes teaching frontline workers to recognise potential symptoms of EVD and how to minimise their personal safety risk by following established protocols when gowning and de-gowning. A drill involving ‘real-life scenarios’ is helping staff test the procedure for handling a suspected case of EVD.
HA undertook a detailed study of international guidelines from the World Health Organization, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and the UK’s Department of Health on the PPE requirements for healthcare professionals who are caring for suspected or confirmed EVD patients. With international-level standards now established, HA Head Office is coordinating the procurement of additional PPE items. The first batch of these items was delivered in late August and will be distributed by cluster General Managers (Administrative Services) to hospitals in each of their respective clusters.