The rapid spread of the Omicron variant into the community in the fifth wave of the epidemic caused an exponential growth in the number of confirmed cases, and hence a sharp increase in the demand for medical and related services early this year. To cope with the sudden surge in service demand, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has been providing full assistance to the Hospital Authority (HA) in the conversion of some wards of the public hospitals for the timely admission of patients and provision of proper care to them, as well as co-operating actively with various government departments in the installation of additional temporary body storage facilities for those who passed away.
The EMSD has assisted the HA in converting selected general wards of the public hospitals into second-tier isolation wards, including installation of Mobile Modular High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter Units and additional ventilating fans in the wards for air filtration and maintenance of a negative pressure condition. Owing to the rapid development of the epidemic then, we had to race against time in completing the modification of each ward within a couple of days. Thanks to our team’s extensive experience, commitment and relentless efforts, all the retrofitting works in a number of hospitals across the territory were eventually completed within the specified period.
The demand for body storage facilities increased sharply. In collaboration with other government departments, the EMSD was immediately engaged in the installation of refrigerated containers at Fu Shan Public Mortuary (FSPM) and Kwai Chung Public Mortuary to provide additional body storage capacities.
In the inter-departmental joint operation for the FSPM, the EMSD acted as an electrical and mechanical (E&M) consultant by reviewing the condition of the existing power supply system on the site, and actively exploring options to install a temporary power supply system and freezers for the FSPM at the soonest possible. The EMSD also provided professional advice on the construction of temporary body storage facilities in Kwai Chung and co-ordinated efforts of different parties for the early installation of a temporary power supply system and freezers on the site. Meanwhile, we took the initiative to provide E&M technical support for the installation of small freezers and testing of equipment. Upon completion of the works, a total of over 4 200 body storage capacities are provided in the newly installed temporary storage facilities in Fu Shan and Kwai Chung.