HK official: Much needs to be done to fight SARS
( 2003-10-03 10:19) (Xinhua)
The recommendations contained in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Expert Committee's report need to be undertaken proactively and quickly,
including the setting up of a center for health protection, said HK health chief
Thursday.
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong said Hong Kong is
densely populated and the ease at which people come and go make Hong Kong
extremely susceptible to the threat and full impact of new infectious diseases
such as SARS.
Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to improve the disease surveillance
, prevention and control system.
He noted that he accepted the criticism made in the report and would shoulder
the responsibility for what he called misunderstandings caused by his comments
in the early stages of the outbreak.
Yeoh made a public apology to the people of Hong Kong , including those who
was infected by SARS and relatives of those who died of SARS.
Yeoh said he had considered resignation from his post, but later decided to
continue to work flat out with his colleagues to fight SARS.
The SARS Expert Committee, set up on May 28, aims at
reviewing the management and control of SARS outbreak in Hong Kong. The
committee submitted Thursday a full report, titled SARS in Hong Kong, from
Experience to Action, to Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa.
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