'Medical staff must focus on patients, not protests'

Francis Chan said on RTHK's 'Hong Kong Letter' that medical professionals should treat all patients equally. File photo: RTHK

The dean of Chinese University's medical school, Francis Chan, has called on those in the medical sector to put their own views aside and to make sure the well-being of patients is their top priority once they put on their uniforms.



Chan said it's fair enough for doctors and nurses to have their own political stances, but they cannot reveal these while treating patients.



He said medical professionals should first make sure they can do their jobs well, before trying to achieve greater aspirations for society.



Speaking on RTHK's "Hong Kong Letter" which was broadcast on Saturday, Chan said he is very tired of the ongoing protest movement that has the territory very much polarised.



The professor said core values in the SAR such as freedom of speech, agreeing to disagree and pluralism, are abruptly vanishing and as street battles intensify, people stop trusting each other and get into conflicts easily.



He said families and friends argue among themselves, and people can be beaten up by strangers just for saying the wrong thing.



Chan said he has always reminded his students that people should not fight for justice using unjust means, and he doesn't accept the use of insults or bullying.



He said the protest movement has led to deaths and left people with permanent disabilities, and as a doctor he knows that even those who recover from their physical injuries may have far-reaching psychological trauma that is difficult to heal.



Chan was awarded a Silver Bauhinia Star medal by the Carrie Lam administration last year.