Newsletter No. 142

CUHK Newsletter No. 142 19th March 1999 3 Personalia • 人事動態 • Personalia • 人事動態 • Personalia • 人事動態 • Personalia •人事動態• Personalia • 人事動態 • Personalia • 人事動態 specialist but the doctor thinks it's unnecessary.' Specialist referrals, he added, are entirely at the doctor's own discretion. W a i t Time When you're skipping class or work to seek medical help, the wait may seem longer than it is. Questions have also often been asked about the queueing system at the Health Centre, i f there are separate queues, and if staff are given priority over students. 'We adopt a first-come-first- served principle,' said Dr. Pang. 'There is only one queue and it is mixed. It's impossible to have separate queues. There' d be a riot!' Dr. Pang also reported that during the past year UHS has done better than its self-set target wait times. P r e v e n t i ve Health The Health Centre, as its name suggests, is more than a clinic, although we may be more aware of its treatment functions. As such, it has preventive health and public health functions. UHS organizes health-related campaigns for staff and students throughout the year. Some are topical such as poster presentations on influenza and contaminated vegetables, others are held by popular demand such as Hepatitis B v a c c i n a t i on and osteoporosis prevention. Since its founding in 1971, UHS has responded to the need for health prevention. Mrs. Pauline Kan, nursing officer in charge of health education, admits that drumming ideas of prevention into young people can be difficult. A future healthy life is a delayed value, as remote as investment and savings. But she still persists in her work for students in the hope that 'one in a hundred' will heed her advice. Campaigns catered specially for staff are also held such as first-aid courses and breast self-examinations. In line with the concept of Healthy Cities promoted by the World Health Organization, UHS is exploring the possibility of holding Healthy Buildings and Healthy University campaigns in the coming years. C amp us Health Each time we go for a dip in the pool or buy an egg sandwich from the canteen, the UHS is probably the furthest thing from our minds. Yet without it we would probably have more to think about. An important job of UHS is the monitoring of the hygiene of the canteens and the swimming pool. Mrs. Kan, who's a member of the Canteen Hygiene and Kitchen Safety Task Force and the Environmental Protection Monitoring Group, said such work was started years before the creation of the two groups when an outbreak of amoebic dissentry on campus was linked to the canteens. UHS began health education with the food handlers and solicited the help of the Regional Services Department (RSD) in checking the canteens regularly. Few may realize that the University is the only one among tertiary institutions and public organizations in Hong Kong whose canteens are courtesy inspected by the RSD each month. I f risky practices are found, warning is issued. And if that goes unheeded, legal action is considered. Mrs. Kan said that so far the exercise has been very effective. The RSD also helps UHS analyse water samples f r om the swimming pool for infectious diseases each month. Besides the UHS invites all occupational groups at risk, such as those dealing with radioactive substances and food handlers to go in for physical check-ups including stool and lung examinations. According to Mrs. Kan, the only other establishments that do the same for their staff are the five-star hotels. A Long Tradition of Service The Health Centre has grown with the University and developed a tradition of its own. While realizing that none in the service industry can really satisfy everybody, it has striven to provide quality health care to the University community and is willing to adapt to changing needs. The UHS sets out to 'meet the health care needs of University staff, their dependants, and students by providing a comprehensive range of primary health care services w i t h a promotional, preventive, and curative approach.' I f approval is granted for the construction of a new building, then perhaps we can soon look forward to an aesthetically more pleasing Health Centre that's more conducive to the provision of better services and to its being remembered even when one is not sick. After all campus health services—treatment, preventive, and promotional, i f one can help it, are best provided by someone who knows the campus and its community well to ensure relevance and continuity. And who's better for the job than the UHS? Piera Chen Dental clinic Dr. Kenneth Pang Physiotherapy room Veterans of UHS Mrs. May Choi, nursing officer at UHS, has been working at UHS since its founding at the current address on 30th September 1971, and before that. At that time Chung Chi and New Asia College had separate clinics with part-time doctor and nurse, but United had yet to set up its own. Shaw College had not been set up at the time. Mrs. Choi was asked to help set up a clinic at United College, then located on BonhamRoad. 'The clinic at United was open for half a day every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I worked full-time. There was a part-time doctor,' related Mrs. Choi who received her nursing and midwifery qualifications in the UK in the 1950s. In 1971 the clinics of all three colleges were merged under Dr. Robert Dan, director of the former Chung Chi clinic, and moved to the Sha Tin campus. In its earliest days, UHS had two doctors and six nurses. It was open during office hours and there was a 24-hour emergency nursing service. 'It feels like a big family here. I've seen students graduate and return to teach at the University,' said Mrs. Choi, who is going to retire at the end of this year. Dr. Lo Tsun-fan, senior physician, worked as a replacement for a physician at UHS during the summer of 1979. The doctor never returned and he joined UHS officially as a regular staff member in the spring of 1980. Dr. Lo, whose specialty is internal medicine and gynaecology, has had experience working at hospitals including United, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Nethersole. How does working as a general practitioner here at UHS compare with working as a specialist in outside hospitals in terms of job satisfaction? 'I'm happy both ways,' he said. 'I'm happy when I hear a newborn I delivered cries. But I also derive great satisfaction from helping a patient suffering from flu. Last week, for example, a patient came in with a 39 °F fever, diarrhoeia and vomitting. I kept him in the observation room for six hours, and saw him gradually improve without having to go to the hospital.' Dr. Lo, who has never tired of learning throughout his years with UHS, has had training in eye disease, dermatology, and gynaecology. Dr. Lo and Mrs. Choi next to a painting of the centre in its younger days Information in this section can only  be accessed with CWEM password .   若要瀏覽本部分的資料， 請須輸 入 中大校園電子郵件密碼 。