The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr John Lee, this morning (March 17) visited the fifth community isolation facility (CIF) constructed with Mainland support near Kai Pak Ling Road in Hung Shui Kiu, Yuen Long.
Upon arrival, Mr Lee attended a handover seminar with Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LOCPG) Mr Yin Zonghua and the Chairman of the contractor, China State Construction International Holdings Limited. Also joining the seminar were the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau; the Under Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Chui Tak-yi; the Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Ho Kai-ming; the Director of Architectural Services, Ms Winnie Ho; and the Director (Quality and Safety) of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Chung Kin-lai.
The use of the Hung Shui Kiu facility will be divided into two parts, with one area dedicated for general-purpose isolation and the other serving as a holding centre for the elderly. The area being utilised as a CIF will provide about 550 rooms and 1 600 beds for emergency isolation. The area designated for a holding centre for the elderly occupies about one-third of the land, with a total of 25 large modular units, each constructed by connecting four to six small units. Seven or 12 beds will be set up in each large unit and the holding centre is expected to provide more than 200 beds in total.
After the seminar, Mr Lee first inspected the general isolation rooms and received a briefing from staff members of the contractor on the features of the project and the challenges they faced during the construction process.
He then inspected the large units to be utilised as a holding centre for the elderly and other related equipment. The centre will be operated by the Social Welfare Department (SWD). Upon referral by the HA, the centre will receive elderly patients who have contracted COVID-19 but are showing mild symptoms, and recovering elderly patients who have been assessed by the HA as suitable for discharge.
Mr Lee said, "The Government's decision to partially convert and utilise the facility in Hung Shui Kiu as a holding centre for the elderly was made after taking into consideration the high demand for holding facilities for the elderly recently, and to bring the functions and value of the facility in Hung Shui Kiu into full play.
"The site of the holding centre for the elderly in Hung Shui Kiu was previously covered by a roof, and this feature was retained during the construction works so that the holding centre would not have to operate under the sun and rain. The design of the large units is based on the open design of that in hospitals, which can accommodate seven or 12 beds at a time, allowing the care workers to closely attend to more elderly people at a time."
To cope with the needs of the elderly patients, enhancement works at the holding centre, including construction of barrier-free access to assist elderly patients using wheelchairs, installation of screens in rooms to enhance privacy and improvement of facilities such as handrails and lighting in toilets, will be carried out.
The SWD will commission professional organisations to form a care team, with members mainly comprising nurses and care workers, to provide temporary care services to elderly patients in the centre. The HA will also dispatch doctors and nurses to be stationed on-site and provide drugs.
The general-purpose isolation facilities at Hung Shui Kiu will commence service after the handover today, whereas the holding centre for elderly patients will commence operation in April, under the arrangement of the SWD.
Mr Lee said, "Together with the CIFs in Tsing Yi, San Tin and Fanling and on the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the five facilities constructed with the support of the Mainland have provided over 3 000 rooms and more than 10 000 beds. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the Central Government for its staunch support for the anti-epidemic work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the LOCPG for its effective co-ordination, and China State Construction International Holdings Limited for its total dedication as it works round the clock to complete the construction of such vital facilities within a short space of time.
"Increasing the supply of holding centres for elderly patients is of vital importance for the epidemic control strategy of 'reducing death, reducing severe cases and reducing transmission'. The HKSAR Government will fully utilise the various facilities constructed with Mainland support, do our utmost to stabilise the epidemic situation and safeguard the lives and health of Hong Kong people."
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