Prisoner of the “stage” ?

June marks the start of hot summer.  It’s usually less busy for clinics.  From June 1 to June 6, I went for an Alpine driving tour.  Our team consisted of ten cars with two instructor cars.  We started driving from Ingolstadt (a town near Munich, Germany) to Oberaudorf (Germany), where we then drove to Kitzbuhel (Austria) via Zell am See (Austria).  From Austria, we drove to Mals (Italy) via Bruneck (Italy) and Meran (Italy).  From Italy, we drove back to Austria via Landeck (Austria) & Lermoos (Austria), and finally back to Munich (Germany) via Neuschwanstein (Germany) and Murnau (Germany).  In this three-day driving tour, I realized that this kind of trip was in fact dangerous.  We were driving on unfamiliar routes with unfamiliar, over-powered cars, under the influence of food, a little bit of alcohol and jet-lag.  It was lucky that no major accidents happened.  Also, I confirmed that I did not need any super car as the speed and control were outside my daily function range.

While I was out of town, I missed a lot of happenings as reported in the newspaper.

Our President be investigated?

Our President, Dr. TSE Hung Hing, was challenged the eligibility for candidature as Elected Member of the Medical Council of Hong Kong.  Dr. TSE was involved in a traffic accident, was charged with careless driving and was fined HK$1,000 in July 2008.  He reported the incident to the Medical Council Secretariat afterwards.  Nevertheless, he failed to declare the case again when submitting the application form for re-election as Council Member in August 2008.  On June 3, Dr. TSE’s accusation of “false declaration” was discussed in the Medical Council Meeting.  Prof. LIEH-MAK, Chairman of MCHK, emphasized that she was handling the case according to law and insisted referring the case to the police for follow-up investigation.  The HKMA Council Members showed their discontent and left, resulting in an early adjournment of the meeting.

In this issue, there are several articles writing on this topic.  I am not going to write on this, but rather to join them by making up a photo to tease our President on the ultra-remote possibility that he would be sent to jail.  In fact the bars are made of chocolate and I guess the prisoner can just free himself by eating his way out.

Youth drug abuse

On June 2, four secondary students (Rosaryhill School, Stubb's Road) were caught taking drugs on the school premises.  The school did not expel the students.  Instead, they were suspended for two weeks.  On June 4, three Form Two teenagers, still dressed in their school uniforms (Tin Shui Wai Pak Kau College), were found unconscious in a park in Tin Yat Estate in Tin Shui Wai.  The boys, aged 14 and 15, were taken to Tuen Mun Hospital and were arrested.  On June 6, two 15-year-old girls were found dazed on the Golden Beach in Tuen Mun.  Together with other two young women, they were arrested on suspicion of taking ketamine.

As a member of the Action Committee Against Narcotics, and based on my experience in dealing with young drug abusers, I would say the above cases are again the tip of an iceberg.  The HKMA is always supporting the government’s anti-drug policy.  We have joined the “Path Builders” youth care initiative, so as to put more focus and effort to the youngsters.  We have co-organized with the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) the Beat Drugs Seminar on March 1 2009 to promote "Team Approach in the Community-based Intervention of Substance Abusers".  Followed by that, we have the “Certificate Course on the Management of Drug Abuse Patients for Family Doctors”.  The Course not only increases the awareness and knowledge of drug abuse, but also encourages family doctors to incorporate the screening and brief intervention processes into their daily practice.  To establish the links and referral services between doctors and NGOs on this subject, the HKMA Community Networks have also been involved.  Coming efforts include the cooperation with the Law Society to produce Beat Drugs Pamphlets for parents and students, and the next Beat Drugs Seminars on “Laboratory Tests on Drug Abuse”.

Teenage girls in court for knife-point taxi robbery

In the early hours of June 1, a gang of three teenage girls aged between 13 and 15, purportedly pulled out knives and robbed a taxi driver of HK$660 and a mobile phone.  The trio got on a taxi from Siu Sai Wan to Kwai Chung Sports Ground.  On arrival, the one in the front pulled out a knife and one of the two in the back put the driver in a headlock.  Having stolen the money and mobile, they fled.  The taxi driver tried to run after the girls, but then he returned to his taxi to give chase.  A passing ambulance crew joined the chase and held two of the girls.  The third girl, who fled the scene on foot, turned herself in to police on the next day.  This news was highly alarming and I suspected that it was related to youth drug abuse also.

June 4^th and Papa Li Tzar Kai

Hosted by Hong Kong Alliance In Support Of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, a candle-night vigil was held at Victoria Park in Hong Kong on June 4, 2009, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.  It was reported that an estimated of 150,000 attended the ceremony, which had a record turnout when compared to the first anniversary held in 1990.  Interestingly, on June 5, the front page of Apple Daily was “李澤楷、梁洛施生仔”.  The outbreak of the news became the hottest topic among most Hong Kong people.  Li Tzar Kai, Richard, and his girlfriend, LEONG Lok Sze, Isabella, gave birth to a boy in Canada on April 26.  Li Ka Shing named the baby “Cheung Chi”, which meant “being self-disciplined”, while Richard and Isabella named him “Ethan”, which means “strong, firm and impetuous”.  Li is always referred to as “superman”.  This time he again used his super power and overshadowed the news of June 4^th in Apple Daily.

(Source: HKMA News June 2009)