Pen portraits: Career

Hand over to God in hard times

  

The darkest days of Dr Leung’s career came in the SAR crisis in 2003. Went through great stress and anxiety as experts struggled to get to grips with the unknown virus in the outbreak, he says his Christian faith gave him strength and confidence to put matters in God’s hands before he went to sleep each night, and rose early the next morning to continue the struggle.

He also had to deal with the fallout from the Manila hostage crisis, the Lamma Island ferry collision, and the outbreak of swine flu during his years at the helm. In every case, he says he felt blessed to work with a team of dedicated colleagues who were highly professional and always put patients first. “Even if a patient is in the terminal stage of a disease, the medical teams still provide excellent end‑of‑life care,” he says. “Although we cannot guarantee long life for everyone, we do all we can to provide patients and their families with the best possible medical care.” Dr Leung’s life motto is simple. “Treasure what you have and avoid comparing with others. Don’t seek shortcuts but work towards your targets step by step,” he says.

Encounters during attachment affirm a clinician’s commitment

Dr Ko recalls a conversation with a priest on being unhappy at work and in life. Father advised him: “This is because you have not ‘opened your heart’. We have to live happily. To be happy in Chinese is to open your heart and enjoy what life gives you.” That is why you often see a smile on Dr Ko’s face. “How can you make patients happy if you look sad?” he asks. “How can you engage with your colleagues if you are sad in your work? And how can you bring happiness to family after work?”

Two encounters during Dr Ko’s clinical attachment early in his career affirm his commitment as a clinician in which he learned the importance of dedication to duty. He was working on attachment at Tsan Yuk Hospital. A doctor was called back at midnight to see a pregnant woman who was about to give birth. After stabilising the patient, the nurse suggested the doctor writing pre-order instead of calling him back later. Despite being exhausted, the doctor insisted that the nurse called him at once if there was an emergency. The nurse told Dr Ko, “You see? A good doctor should be like this – responsible and committed.” On another occasion at the Queen Mary Hospital, a senior medical officer told him, “Even if it is not an urgent case, if you can treat a patient today, why leave it till tomorrow? If you were the patient, would you want to be treated today or tomorrow?” Those two lessons in dedication have stayed with Dr Ko throughout his career, constantly reminding him that the lives of patients are in the hands of medical staff. As a doctor, he feels the weight of responsibility and is committed to ensuring every patient gets the best possible care and treatment.