St. John Hospital: A neighbour keeping watch over an island community

Cheung Chau is known as Dumbbell Island because of its shape and St. John Hospital (SJH) is located at the centre of the island – the ‘handle’ connecting north and south. Now serving as the island’s only hospital, SJH has been safeguarding the health of around 20,000 residents since its establishment in 1934. Despite its modest size, the hospital is well-equipped and provides a high standard of modern medical care. While the hospital continues to modernise, the human touch remains irreplaceable, where the hospital staff and islanders have built a close bond.

Debbie Chow Yee-low, who joined SJH as a midwife in 1992 and is now an Accident & Emergency (A&E) nurse, describes how the hospital prepares for the annual Jiao Festival, a major event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Cheung Chau. Every year, the hospital works with Hospital Authority Head Office Major Incident Control Centre and multiple government departments to conduct disaster drills before the festival. “The drills simulate various emergencies, such as the collapse of the bun tower, fainting incidents during the Piu Sik Parade, or crowd surges at the pier,” Debbie explains. “There was even one instance when locals mistook the drill for a real incident because the scenes of simulated casualties were so vivid.” During the drills, triage and initial treatment at the scene before being transferred to SJH or Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) have also been conducted.

SJH offers a range of services, including general outpatient care, 24-hour A&E services, and allied health services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy. In the early 2000s, the A&E department had to cope with a surge in suicides, included patients who lost consciousness due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. “After initial treatment at SJH, critical patient cases are transferred by helicopter to PYNEH, with hyperbaric oxygen therapy introduced for CO poisoning cases in recent years,” says Debbie. Depending on patients’ condition and clinical needs, doctors may arrange transfers by police launch or public ferry to other hospitals.

Li Wai-hing, who has been a patient care assistant at SJH for 27 years, recalls a ferry accident in 2011 where 76 people were injured after a ferry struck a mooring pillar in the island’s typhoon shelter. Despite being on leave, Li who lives in Cheung Chau rushed back to the hospital to support her colleagues. “The A&E department and wards were packed with injured patients,” she remembers. “Some needed X-rays and wound dressing, while some were transferred to other hospitals. Everyone came back to the hospital and worked together. Once we put on our uniforms, we were ready to give our all.”

Familiar faces outside the wards

Both Debbie and Li are long-time Cheung Chau residents, and their connection to the community extends beyond the hospital grounds. Debbie recalls a heart-warming encounter with a mother and her teenage son. “The mother pointed at me and told her son, ‘this is the nurse who delivered you.’ It reminded me how quickly time flies, I suddenly felt a little old!” she says.

Li shares a touching story about an elderly woman in her 80s who suffered a minor stroke and required physiotherapy. “I accompanied her from her home to the hospital in a rural ambulance,” she recalls. Later, the woman recognised Li in the street, gently took her by the hand, and reminded her to dress warmly in the cold weather. “In the hospital, they are patients. On the street, they are neighbours. The bond feels so warm and genuine,” says Li with a smile.