The latest issue of Time Asia magazine, on sale Monday, saluted 29
Asian Heroes 2003, with the medical staff from Hong Kong's Prince
of Wales Hospital listed as a group on top of the hero-list for
their devotion in the treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (
SARS)
patients.
"Dirty Team" (medical staff in charge of SARS patients) described
by Time Asia at the Prince of Wales Hospital and health-care
workers at Singapore's Tan Tock Seng Hospital were named by the
Time Asia as SARS heroes for their willingness to place themselves
on the frontlines of the war against the killer disease.
David Hui, doctor in charge of the SARS patients at the Prince of
Wales Hospital said in an interview with Xinhua that "we've just
managed to do our duties. The policemen and firemen would surely
fight against criminal acts and fire when they are on call. We are
just the same," he said.
Shen Jao Yiu, head of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics,
Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said
it's in fact an honor to all health care workers in Hong Kong.
He
and his students also took part in the battle against SARS at
Prince of Wales hospital.
Around 20 doctors and another over 100 nurses are taking care of
SARS patients at Prince of Wales Hospital now, which has received
104 SARS patients.
Hui said his hospital has received over 270 SARS patients since
March 11. Apart from 84 in four wards and another 20 in intensive
care units, and around 5 percent of toll, all the others have been
discharged from his hospital.
Hui said that health-care workers at his hospital had to work 14
hours a day for rescuing lives of the SARS patients in March when
they did not know much about SARS, and about 70 of his colleagues
were infected with the disease for lack of infection protection
then.
He
said even now, they worked 12 hours a day and 5 percent of them
still were infected with the disease.
He
said some elder patients could not bear the wearing of masks all
day long and their coughing and even vomiting during nurses'
feeding make the situation more dangerous.
However, he felt most satisfied when seeing patients off his
hospital and his colleagues recovered.
Hui said around 30 of his colleagues discharged from his hospital
earlier had come back to other posts of his hospital and another 20
would return to posts in the coming two weeks.
As
other doctors and nurses at his hospital, Hui also has his worries.
He did not dare to visit his parents at their 70s for over the past
40 days for fear of possible virus spreading. His mother called him
every other day to check if he is still well.
Health care workers have already become real heroes in hearts of
many Hong Kong residents. Tributes pour in for medical teams in
many public hospitals in treatment of SARS patients.
Hong Kong residents sent cards and donated money for buying
protection facilities for medical staff fighting against SARS. The
messages convey people's appreciation to the doctors and nurses who
are putting their lives on the line every day.
Other Asian Heroes named by Time Asia magazine include Yao Ming, Yo
Yo Ma, A-Kuei, Stephen Chow and Satoshi Fukushima.
Yao Ming has become a well known figure in the global eye for
jamming with the very best of the MBA.
Yo-Yo Ma is an internationally recognized musician, whose Silk Road
Project explores the musical currents and cultural interdependence
of countries along the ancient central Asian routes.
A-kuei is a Taiwanese e-cartoon character whose carefree
personality and off-beat adventures have won him fans in Taiwan,
the Chinese mainland and Japan.
Stephen Chow started off with nothing but has pulled himself up to
start status through wit, will and a keen appreciation for the
cinematic uses of insanity.
Satoshi Fukushima, the first deaf and blind professor at Tokyo
University, has helped break down prejudices and misperceptions of
handicapped people, and helped found the Japan Deaf-Blind
Association.
(People's Daily April 22, 2003)