Letters | Carers should be allowed to stay with disabled patients, pandemic or not
- Readers discuss how Covid-19 measures affect disabled patients in hospitals, the new testing rule for bars, the city’s continuing ‘trade barrier’ against itself, and why the congestion levy should be based on income
As a person with a physical disability who was recently hospitalised, I request that the Hospital Authority allow primary caretakers to stay with disabled patients while they are hospitalised. Hospital staff may have undergone training to help patients with different disabilities, but this training does not address the day-to-day needs of individual patients.
As a person with mobility barriers, I need help to sit, stand and walk a certain way. These specifications are not covered by hospital staff training. There were, therefore, uncertainties over how to facilitate daily activities such as sitting on a suitable chair, standing, going to the washroom and showering. This increased my risk of progressively losing muscle strength due to mostly remaining in bed.
The Hospital Authority’s 2020-21 statistical report shows an overall inpatient occupancy rate of 79.3 per cent. Near-full capacity puts wardens under pressure and limits their ability to cater to the needs of disabled patients. It is not possible for staff to accommodate disabled patients who need help simply to stand or even sit for longer periods. Even a physiotherapist needs guidance from a primary caretaker on the usual mobility routine of a patient to ensure they maintain their daily exercise.
A pandemic rule barring visitors – including carers – from entering wards prevents the provision of suitable care for disabled patients, who may not get the help they need from staff. The absence of caretakers, therefore, puts both patients and staff in a predicament, one which could harm a patient’s recovery.
Permitting primary carers to stay full-time with disabled patients when they are hospitalised is the clear solution. It ensures the provision of “reasonable accommodation” as outlined in Hong Kong’s Disability Discrimination Ordinance. The World Health Organization’s paper, “Disability considerations during the Covid-19 outbreak”, additionally emphasises the importance of coordinating care between health and social services, families and carers to address complex needs.
Allowing primary caretakers to stay with patients during hospitalisation is coordinated care; it ensures that disabled patients get proper treatment for a timely recovery.
Sa’diyya Nesar, Yuen Long
RAT rule for bars penalises businesses … again
Rather than suffer the inconvenience and expense of submitting a RAT result, customers might patronise unlicensed, poorly ventilated premises with no contact tracing facilities, where social distancing and mask wearing rules are flouted. Covid infection risks in such premises are sure to be far higher than in licensed bars.
I and many others patronise bars and restaurants, having had four vaccinations, and wonder whether it was worthwhile, as the effects of the latest mutations of Covid seem to be no worse than a common cold’s. The RAT requirement should be rescinded forthwith. But I’m not holding my breath.
Eric Edwin Taylor, Sai Kung
Hong Kong’s ‘trade barrier’ against its own businesses
We have all had enough of this senseless isolation of healthy travellers. It has cost our city many small and medium-sized businesses, for whom the endless hotel quarantine costs and flight suspensions are a serious trade barrier, making this already expensive place uncompetitive.
The rest of the world has moved on and so must we. If China wants to shut itself off from the rest of the world so be it, but we do have a “two systems” promise and it’s time to make good on it.
Saki A. Chatzichristidis, Discovery Bay
Congestion charge must be fairly weighted
Congestion charges should not be tax-deductible and should apply to all non-emergency unmarked government cars. Moreover, charges paid by government cars must be paid to entities outside government funds, to prevent them being recycled back into the government and therefore becoming meaningless.
A more equitable approach to congestion charging would be to link the charge to a vehicle licence fee. Under the Transport Department’s free flow tolling system, car owners can register for a digital “vehicle tag” which stores information about their vehicle, including its size. This can be used to dictate the congestion charge to be paid.
The licence fee for a car with a 4,500cc engine is 189 per cent higher than for a car under 1,500cc. If the congestion fee was set using the same method, those with larger cars would pay more than those with smaller vehicles. This system would ensure the congestion charge is not regressive in nature, and all drivers – be they government officials, companies or regular drivers – pay a more equitable congestion charge based on level of income.
Neil Dunn, Kowloon Tong
