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Nurses, medical workers in Hong Kong bear the most burden during SARS. The medical system could easily be overwhelmed if SARS comes back.

By


Wu Siu Yan


17 June, 2003

Imagine yourself being a nurse, wearing full protective gown -- water-proof clothes that allow no air to pass through, eye-goggles, head-cover, gloves, .... and doing strenuous work, work that demands concentration, carefulness, physical and mental exertions.

If your imagination fails you, then you can simulate such. Put on a raincoat, put on masks (2 masks), swimming-goggles, head-cover, gloves, rubber boots, ... and try to do some housework. And do not take away the clothes for eight hours.

In a TV program about nurses, the nurses were already sweating through, just after they have put on the full protective clothing. They had not yet begun working !

The nurses said that their clothes were all wetted through after work.

Imagine their difficulties. They have to work in the "dirty" area, fully clothed, and they have to depend on workers in the "clean" area for all supplies; therefore there must be a wait for every supply. Moreover, their hearing is impaired because their ears are covered, and communication under such condition is not easy.

A nurse said that their colleagues became bad-tempered under such conditions.

Another nurse in China said that such exertion was comparable to climbing Mount Everest.

Moreover, they have to go to work, day in and day out, often with overtime; and at the same time, responsibility weighs heavily on them.

This goes on day after day, month after month, non-stop.

They cannot go on like this for long. In fact, the government and the society MUST NOT allow this to continue. (Many have been bearing such ordeals for months now.)

I would suggest that the government takes immediate steps : -

1. Allow alternate treatment, especially Chinese Herbal Medicine. There are thousands of herbal doctors in Hong Kong, and they should be allowed to participate in the treatment of SARS, even allowing them to open hospital to admit SARS patients. Government should pass legislation quickly for this. Government should also conduct courses to help the Herbal Doctors in the use of protective gears, ... and such measures found useful in avoiding infection in Western Medicine.
   
   



2. Allow every patient free choice -- it is their RIGHT. They may choose Western Medicine, or Chinese Medicine, or a combination of them, or even alternate medicine (Tibetan Medicine, India Medicine, acupuncture, ...).
   
   



3. Recruit volunteers to help the medical workers. Many people are willing to join in this work, and many are highly educated, though not in the medical field, that they can pick up quickly after short period of training. Government may prepare education VCD to teach them the basics. Then put these volunteers to work (e.g. feeding patients, bathing them, help them brush their teeth, changing diapers, as many SARS patients are so weak that they could not go to the toilet themselves), so that the nurses/medical workers, can have some rest (say 15 minutes in every hour.) Ask the doctors/nurses in what way they can make use of those volunteers.
   
   

   Also, there is a ready source of labour -- those on welfare. Hong Kong Government's policy is that welfare recipients should undertake not more than 3 days of voluntary work each week, then why not ask them if they are willing to undertake such (dangerous) task. Do not force them, but ask for volunteers from them, because society may not accept compulsory dangerous tasks.
   
   

The above are my suggestions, but I am not optimistic, because I know this political system (Roman type of political system). This top-down management style places too much burden on a few top men, that their energy are exhausted, that they wish no additional burdens/troubles. So they hate changes of all sort. The system in Japanese factories, where "Management by Suggestion" prevails, and where management trust their front-line workers to make many decisions, is more flexible. (Note : Bible's political system under Moses is the best, most flexible, and responds fast.)

I voice my suggestions here, and hope it will be useful should SARS returns and our medical system is overwhelmed.

I also appeal to all Christians, that they teach Bible's cleanliness rules to all their neighbours, (e.g. eat not unclean animal; touch not unclean; use "scarlet stuff, hyssop, cedar wood" in the killing of germs; use "leaves of fruit trees" in healing. [Ezekiel 47:12])

I think there will be difficult times ahead, and that a person who observes more carefully LORD's laws/commandments/ordinances/statutes will have better chance of survival than one who studies not, learns not, observes not, LORD's teachings, not only those teachings pertaining to spiritual and moral, but also to those pertaining to our physical body and environment.