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Feng Chi-shun writes that the health authorities in Hong Kong need to do a better job in preparing, promoting and carrying out the flu vaccination scheme

As one of the United States' founding fathers Benjamin Franklin once noted, there were only two things certain in life: Death and taxes. But my experience as a doctor has compelled me to add a third certainty: Flu season.

Our Department of Health designates January to March, and July and August as Hong Kong's peak flu seasons. Every year during peak flu seasons, we hear from our health chiefs the problem of overcrowding in our public hospitals. The situation is particularly dire this year, with occupancy rate as high as 130 percent in some of our public hospitals.

Having camp beds in between regular beds and in the corridors is unacceptable at any time, and it becomes appallingly dangerous during flu outbreaks.

During every flu season, our front line staff is overwhelmed by the workload, especially for the nurses, because flu patients need tender loving care from them more than anything else. Recently, the usually docile Hong Kong Nursing Staff Association has published an open letter in several Chinese newspapers urging the government to provide extra manpower and resources.

The open letter stated that the work pressure of the frontline nurses has reached breaking point, and the government must do something about it as quickly as possible. They also suggested relieve measures, such as transferring medically stable patients to rehabilitation hospitals to free up more acute beds, and increasing clinic operating hours to treat milder cases of flu. They also demand higher overtime honorarium.

These are all good and sensible suggestions.

What I don't understand is - since flu seasons are as regular and predictable as the festive Christmas and New Year, why is it that our health authority is so unprepared, as though it's an unexpected medical emergency, year after year.

Here are a few of my bold suggestions to deal with this perennial headache:

Since prevention is better than cure, our health authority should do a better job promoting and executing the flu vaccination scheme. The current take-up rate of about 10 percent is far too low to reap the full benefits of the immunization program. Experts say a herd immunity of at least 30 percent is required to make a difference in combating a serious flu outbreak.

A few months ago, I went to a government clinic to have my annual flu shot, and it took up just about an entire afternoon of my time (including traveling) to have it done even though the jab itself took about one second. The ordeal wasn't very user friendly and the logistics could be vastly improved.

Why can't the government provide free flu shots for everyone in Hong Kong, not just the at-risk groups, and make it more conducive for patients by stream-lining, using mobile apps for appointments, and provide mobile immunization units to reach the people where they work or live? Why only food trucks when we can also have flu wagons? Let's get our priorities right!

A more successful flu immunization program will reduce the number of flu patients swarming our public hospitals, and that alone will offset all the expenses spent on treating flu patients, not to mention the time saved for our medical staff which can be spent on treating in-patients. Money aside, we are talking about saving lives.

Another measure that our health authority should consider is to build a "flu wing" in each of the major public hospitals. Some space for it can always be found in a large compound such as a government hospital. The flu wing can have its own emergency room, and is open for business only during the flu seasons, and it won't go to waste because flu seasons will always be with us. It is just plain common sense to segregate flu patients from the rest.

Staffing of these flu wings will be a challenge. The health authorities should try tapping into grey area - government doctors and nurses, recently retired but who are in good health, and are willing to help the community by working a few months out of a year, that is, only during the flu seasons.

Recruitment should start early and continue all year round. Remuneration should be attractive enough, so even private doctors who are not busy are willing to work part time to supplement their incomes.

I am not saying all these measures can be easily accomplished. All I know is that the money is there, and flu seasons are predictable, and there is no reason for the health authorities to be reacting in panic fashion, year after year.

SARS and bird flu are unforeseen outbreaks and should be dealt with by contingency plans, seasonal flu is routine and recurrent and we should have a standard procedure in place to deal with it. It shouldn't even make news.

(HK Edition 03/30/2016 page7)