Walking with people to safeguard community health

Hospital Authority Family Medicine and Primary Health Care Anti-COVID-19 Pandemic Team
Hong Kong East Cluster / Hong Kong West Cluster / Kowloon Central Cluster / Kowloon East Cluster / Kowloon West Cluster / New Territories East Cluster / New Territories West Cluster / Hospital Authority Head Office

During the peak times of the epidemic situation in Hong Kong in February last year, the Hospital Authority (HA) rapidly activated Designated Clinics for COVID-19 Confirmed Cases (DCs) to strengthen the support of patients in the community. The Family Medicine and Primary Health Care Anti-COVID-19 Pandemic Team recalls, “thanks to our highly responsive colleagues, the experience gained from the major public health crises in the past decades, as well as the enhancement of software and hardware facilities of the General Out-patient Clinics (GOPCs) including the ventilation systems, patient flow, infection control measures and equipment, staff training and the conduction of drills. With all these, we were able to promptly turn GOPCs into DCs in just two days.” There were 23 DCs at peak times in Hong Kong.

The tele-consultation service was launched in July of the same year to provide medical consultation and medication delivery service. “Doctors need to know what medication the patients are currently taking before prescribing oral antiviral drugs,” the Team explains. “With tele-consultation, patients can show their medication on camera. Tele-consultation has evolved rapidly during the epidemic. It deserves to be explored further.”

The epidemic struck in consecutive waves, and the Team was grateful for colleagues’ dedication in providing excellent patient care with limited time and resources available. “Our colleagues were willing to go further to explain the medical condition and medication etc. to patients, help them overcome the challenges.”

Looking ahead, the Team sees unlimited possibilities for primary healthcare services. “People used to think that GOPCs merely treated cold and flu. In fact, we are committed to providing community-based primary healthcare services, and supporting patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension in the meanwhile. Riding on the opportunities of technology advancement and the application of tele-consultation in the service model, we hope to strengthen chronic disease management by further enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness, continue to walk alongside the people and care for their health.”

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