Valuable disaster management experience to pass on

Chan Wai-kun
Department Operations Manager
Queen Mary Hospital

In the event of major incidents, the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) is always the first point of treatment and care for the injured. Having worked at the A&E Department for over 30 years, Department Operations Manager (A&E) Chan Wai-kun, so much wishes to pass on his knowledge and experience of handling such emergencies to equip A&E colleagues with enhanced response capabilities in dealing with major incidents. To do so, Chan organises emergency drills annually for different colleagues, so that everyone would have the opportunities to learn and review their work. He believes that with regular training, colleagues would be able to stay calm in receiving massive casualties during emergencies.

“The Lan Kwai Fong stampede in 1993 was one of the most memorable incidents that I have encountered at work. I was not on duty that day, but I hurried back to Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) right away to support my team. As I recall, more than 40 casualties were sent to the QMH A&E Department that tragic night. The healthcare workers had to handle a large number of casualties in a very short period of time, and everything was in chaos. Worse still, due to technological constraints back then, most of the patients’ data could only be recorded manually, causing quite a lot of difficulties in subsequent patient follow-up and tracking.” These experiences empower Chan to develop the Hospital Disaster Guideline and Contingency Plan, which facilitates the triage of patients and coordination among different departments for patient admission. Later in the Lamma Island ferry collision in 2012, Chan and his team were able to determine the rescue priority and develop the manpower plan according to the guideline. The effective arrangement facilitated timely treatment for the injured, as well as a systematic record of patient information and conditions via an electronic system.

In addition, Chan was the coordinator of the Post-registration Certificate Course – Emergency Nursing Course of HA Institute of Advanced Nursing Studies and the instructor of relevant courses such as Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses. He taught a wide range of nursing knowledge and techniques so as to enhance the proficiency of the participating nurses. “The role of A&E nurses has become more important that now we often have to assist specialists in treating critical cases in A&E department. Therefore, I always encourage my colleagues to obtain the qualification and become a specialty nurse. This does not only improve the quality of patient care but also fosters their career growth in the long run.”