China to send makeshift hospital to Hong Kong

BEIJING: A Chinese mainland architecture firm is designing a “fangcang” makeshift hospital for Hong Kong, similar to the ones built in Wuhan, to help address the sickbed shortage problem as Hong Kong faces growing epidemic-control pressure.

Hong Kong reported 80 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 3,670. The risks of community transmissions are still high, and there are reports of patients waiting for medical treatment at home because of bed shortages.

TO AID THE CITY IN ITS fight AGAINST the virus, a team from the mainland team started working on a design for a makeshift hospital for Hong Kong after being assigned the task on July 29. The team is comprised of experts in architecture, structure, water supply

and drainage, electrical systems and, heating and ventilation, the Wuhan-based Central South Architectural Design Institute (CSADI) told the GlobalTimes on Tuesday.

The Hong Kong-version of the makeshift hospital would be a retrofitting of the Hong Kong Asia-World Expo, according to the company. The architecture firm said their team was involved in the design of another temporary hospital in Hong Kong, but declined to reveal the location.

In addition to assisting Hong

Kong in building the makeshift hospital at the Asia-World Expo, the central government would also help build a new specialist temporary hospital in Hong Kong, similar to the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said Sunday.

Xie Hu, from CSADI, who was in charge of the architectural design of the Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital and a makeshift hospital in Wuchang district of Wuhan, will travel to Hong Kong, along WITH five OTHER SPECIALISTS WHO WILL share their expertise in constructing Wuhan’s makeshift hospitals.

Previous media reports said they held a visit permit valid for six months. Xie worked through the night with his colleagues to complete the design of the Leishenshan Hospital and submitted the complete construction drawings in three days, media reported.

“During Xie’s stay in Hong Kong, the entire team will give him support 24/ 7 to construct the makeshift hospital,” a staff member from the publicity department of the CSADI told the Global Times. She added that Xie was STILL AWAITING THE final ORDER FROM authorities to depart.

The team will borrow from the design experience of previous makeshift hospitals and provide a design scheme which is suited to the makeshift hospital in Hong Kong such as creating a safety working zone for medical staff and separating clean and polluted zones.

One hall of the Asia-World Expo was put into use as hospital on Saturday, with a 500-bed capacity. The Hospital Authority said it was considering renovating the second hall of the expo building to host more patients.