The team willing to be disbanded

COVID-19 Patient Management and Support Team
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Hong Kong East was once the ‘hardest hit area’. Over 1,000 colleagues from various departments of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, including Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Surgery, Orthopaedics and Paediatrics, took turns to lend a helping hand to the Medical wards. Among both colleagues and patients, everyone has gone from strangers to comrades-in-arms, fighting the pandemic together.

The team leader Dr Lung Kwok-cheung, who is also a Consultant of Department of Medicine and his team members have this to say, "We come from different departments, but we are all united in our mission to put the well-being of our patients first. And it is a good opportunity for colleagues to share their experience. For example, the Medical wards received many confirmed patients aged from a few months to a few years. We were not overwhelmed only with the help of Paediatrics colleagues. Of course we reciprocated by showing how to care for older patients which we are good at.”

Colleagues become comrades, while the patients see love in times of adversity. “The team attaches great importance to the 'family' culture. We try to arrange COVID-19 patients from the same family to stay in the same cubicle so that they can take care of each other. For patients who are 'solo' (i.e. being admitted to the hospital alone), we will arrange beds flexibly. For instance, a few little girls were admitted to the hospital earlier this year. So we asked another older girl to stay with these younger ones and take care of them. When they were discharged from the hospital, they were a little sad to leave each other. Another old lady did not want to stay in a single cubicle as she was scared of ghosts and the dark. In the end, some young female patients volunteered to stay with her. After assessment, we agreed to this arrangement and the ladies even fed her soup and helped cut her nails. We were surprised that the patients went from being strangers to friends.”

Dr Lung was pleased to receive the award, but he wished the team could be disbanded because it means the end of the pandemic, and everyone’s lives return to normal. He is convinced that even if the pandemic subsides, the rapport that the team has built will go on.

Team List