Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ16: Medical supplies donated by Central People's Government

Following is a question by the Hon Michael Mak and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

Question:

Regarding the medical supplies donated by the Central People's Government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to help Hong Kong fight Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, will the Government inform this Council of :

(a) the details of the relevant discussions held between the Administration and the Mainland authorities before the delivery of the medical supplies;

(b) the categorised quantities and the details of the allocation of these supplies,as well as their respective daily consumption; and

(c) whether there are any surplus stocks; if so, how they will be disposed of?

Answer :

(a) In response to an offer of support from the Central People's Government (CPG), the Chief Executive (CE) wrote to the State Council on April 25, 2003, indicating that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) might need CPG's assistance in the supply of drugs, personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical personnel if the number of SARS cases in HKSAR continued to rise. CE also provided CPG with a tentative list of the types and quantities of PPE that might be required by the HKSAR, together with the specifications. On April 29, CPG announced that they would give full support to the HKSAR on the supply of PPE and medical personnel. This was followed up with the Hospital Authority (HA) and the relevant Mainland authorities on the detailed user requirements, including providing samples of the required PPE to the Mainland authorities for reference. The PPE supplies donated by CPG were delivered to HA between May 8 and 29, 2003 in three batches. Throughout the month of May 2003, close liaison was maintained with HA and the relevant Mainland authorities to ensure that the PPE donated by the CPG could address pressure areas encountered by HA in PPE supply.

(b) The types and quantities of PPE supplied by CPG are listed below:

Type of PPE Quantity
(pieces)

Barrier Man                                                         113 000
Shoe Cover                                                          100 000

Water Repellent/Water Resistant Disposable 

Isolation Gown                                                     600 000
Surgical Mask                                                       800 000
Face Shield                                                            20 000
Eye Shield
- Frame                                                                  30 000
- Lens                                                                     100 000
Goggles                                                                 10 000
N95 Mask (Small size)                                           36 000
N95 Mask (Regular)                                              164 000

The HA Head Office (HAHO) determined the allocation of the PPE donated by CPG at the hospital cluster level having regard to the stock position of individual hospital clusters. On receipt of the PPE supplies, the clusters distributed them to their hospitals to meet operational requirements. HA also provided 20 000 pieces of Barrier Man to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department for use by their staff in the installation and maintenance of equipment in public hospitals. Some 14 500 pieces of Barrier Man were provided to the Fire Services Department for use by their staff who need to carry out inspection on the fire services installations in public hospitals as well as ambulancemen responsible for transporting patients to and from public hospitals. Details of the distribution of the PPE supplies are at Annex.

The daily consumption of PPE by HA is listed below:

Type of PPE Peak Daily Consumption (pieces)
Barrier Man                                                             27 910
Shoe Cover                                                             15 800
Water Repellent Disposable
Isolation Gown                                                        41 297
Water Resistant Disposable
Isolation Gown                                                         40 449
Surgical Mask                                                         278 636
Face Shield                                                             15 666
Eye Shield                                                              15 975
Goggles                                                                   2 599
N95 Mask (Small size)                                            13 556
N95 Mask (Regular)                                                 15 568

(c) All the PPE supplies donated by CPG have been fully consumed with the exception of Barrier Man. There is at present a surplus stock of 52 775 pieces of Barrier Man which are kept in the HAHO store as contingency stock.

End/Wednesday, July 9, 2003
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