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Following is a question by the Hon Li Kwok-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council today (July 5):
Question:
It has been reported that since around mid-May this year, in accordance with instructions given by the Fire Services Communication Centre through the Third Generation Communication and Mobilising System, ambulances have been conveying all the sick and wounded in areas around Shek Kip Mei of Sham Shui Po District to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), rather than the nearer Caritas Medical Centre, for medical treatment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current average daily number of the sick and wounded in Sham Shui Po District conveyed by ambulances to the A&E department of QEH for medical treatment, and how the figure compares with that prior to the adoption of the above practice;
(b) of the impact of the above practice on the deployment of ambulances in Kowloon West Division and the A&E services at QEH; and
(c) whether it will revise the divisional delineations under which A&E departments of public hospitals admit the sick and wounded in Kowloon West Division; if so, of the criteria to be adopted for revising the delineations; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Third Generation Mobilising System (TGMS) of the Fire Services Department (FSD), which commenced full operation in mid-2005, does not involve the delineation of the service areas of hospitals. The ambulances of FSD will convey the patients to the appropriate hospitals for medical treatment according to the service areas of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments jointly drawn up by FSD and the Hospital Authority (HA). Under the HA, there are 15 hospitals with A&E Departments. Their respective service areas, as drawn up by FSD and HA, are set out in the Ambulance Command Standing Order of FSD.
(a), (b) & (c) The areas in Kowloon mentioned in the Honourable Member's question involve the service areas of the A&E Departments of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and Caritas Medical Centre (CMC) under the HA. FSD and HA have jointly delineated the service areas for years, and ambulances will convey the patients to the relevant hospitals in accordance with the prescribed service areas. Regarding the situation of June 19 as reported in the press, the main contributing factor was that during the period from 1pm to 3pm on that day, the number of ambulance calls for conveying patients to Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was 65 per cent higher than the daily average. As a result, the A&E Department of QEH experienced difficulty in handling these cases during the said period. In fact, FSD and HA review from time to time the service areas of the A&E Departments. In setting the service areas, FSD and HA will consider various relevant factors, including the geographical location, road networks, population densities, the hospital's facilities and resources, and the number of emergency cases in the past. In view of the recent increase in the number of patients conveyed by ambulances to QEH (the average daily figure from mid-May to mid-June has increased by 12 per cent compared with the previous period), FSD and HA have reviewed the service area of the CMC and have temporarily included Shek Kip Mei and Tai Hang Tung in its service area with effect from June 23. In the longer run, FSD and HA will review the respective service areas of QEH, Kwong Wah Hospital and CMC to ensure that the patients are treated as soon as possible.
Ends/Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:45
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