"Dirty team" member's letter to Old Boys – Mutual support in brotherhood to combat epidemic

2020.02.22

Following is a letter to Old Boys by a Resident in Medicine of Queen Mary Hospital, Dr Benjamin SO Yu-fai (2009), who served in the "dirty team" and managed patients of novel coronavirus infection published today (February 22).

The letter is part of Letters Asunder, an initiative to mark QCOBA's centenary in 2020 under the theme "Serving QC family, our centenary duty", sharing with the Queen's community words of wisdom and reflections.

Mutual support in brotherhood to combat epidemic

Dear brothers,

I left Queen's College in 2010 to pursue a degree in Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. I have since graduated from university, and am currently a Resident in the Department of Medicine at Queen Mary Hospital.

I write this at a critical time in the history of Hong Kong. A lethal outbreak of novel coronavirus infection, often locally referred to as Wuhan pneumonia, is spreading across Hong Kong. As a frontline healthcare worker, I stand at the forefront of the fight against this epidemic.

In addition to my usual clinical duties, over the past few weeks I have also personally served on the so-called "dirty team", working in the isolation wards and caring for both suspected and confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection. As a result of the added risk of contracting the infection ourselves and becoming latent carriers, many of us have also elected to quarantine ourselves away from our families and friends. Regrettably, the levels of mental and physical stress faced by frontline healthcare workers are tremendous, and support is lacking.

Sacrifice is inevitable when one works in public healthcare. Professionalism dictates that we must do our utmost for the sick and needy, sometimes at great personal cost. At the same time, it is for these very same reasons that we must speak out when public health policy is at odds with the best interests of the general public. Doctors are uniquely positioned to see the many problems and deficiencies that plague our healthcare system, and to alert the public and the government to these risks.

Many of us, myself included, have been very vocal in calling on the government to take firm and decisive action to prevent a full-blown community outbreak. Our hospitals are poorly resourced and simply do not have the capacity to adequately cope with a mass outbreak. Unfortunately, our professional advice has largely fallen on deaf ears.

A community outbreak is gradually unfolding and we can expect it to go on for some time. Left to fend for themselves, Hong Kong people must now figure how best to help themselves and the people around them. As Queenians we speak often of brotherhood as a core value that we try to uphold at all times, to create a safety net for each other in times of need. That support is more important now than ever.

In addition, I ask at this difficult time for us to try and extend that level of camaraderie and mutual support to everyone in society. We can all help in different ways: sourcing personal protective equipment for the people around you, disseminating accurate health information in social media, and maintaining a high level of personal and environmental hygiene are all important and effective ways to slow the outbreak.

Above all, we should keep ourselves safe and healthy as much as possible. One should avoid going to crowded places, and certainly not travelling to outbreak zones in Mainland China at this critical time. This is no time to be a hero or martyr; it is a time to be rational, calm and prudent. The night is darkest just before the dawn. While this is without doubt a difficult period for Hong Kong, I trust that we can overcome the monumental challenges that lie ahead, with strength of character and clarity of mind.

Benjamin

Queen's College Old Boys' Association
February 22, 2020

Dr Benjamin SO (left) and Dr Garret LEUNG Man-kit (2005) in Queen Mary Hospital