8-hour-long waits at overcrowded public hospitals

Don’t get sick, or if you really can’t beat that cold, head to a private hospital.

As flu season peaks, daily visits to emergency units maxed out at 6,000 visits this week, with some wards at a 120 percent occupancy — which means temporary beds parked out on corridors.

The cold weather, the looming outbreak of bird flu, and chronic manpower shortage all adds to one overloaded public health system, where even severely sick patients have to wait a couple of hours. We don’t know which is worst — being a sick patient waiting for medical attention or an overworked nurse under huge pressure.

Source: SCMP

Photo: Wikimedia Commons




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