I’m a doctor in Hong Kong – the police crackdown on protesters has turned even hospitals into war zones

I am a Hong Kong trained doctor and have worked for more than a decade in a number of public hospitals. I was once proud of the city’s easily accessible medical services. But Hong Kong has changed. Today, the authorities treat anybody connected to the protests as second class citizens. Consequently, nobody is safe, not even within our public hospitals.

Over the past year, I witnessed and experienced several shocking incidents which reveal the systematic dangers that Hongkongers face. The Hong Kong police force stormed hospitals where protesters are receiving medical treatment to make arrests, irrespective of the medical state of their targets. Police officers warned both myself and my colleagues that we will face serious consequences if we contact the families of injured protesters, as our job usually requires. Armed riot police also cordoned off emergency hospital wards for no apparent reason other than to restrict medical help to the injured.

I’ve witnessed male police officers insisting on accessing labour wards to question and intimidate pregnant women. I’ve treated arrestees with serious injuries, including fractured bones, hours after the injuries occurred because they had been detained by police and refused medical attention. The injuries of such patients are usually more severe as a consequence and their recovery is more complicated. Sometimes, these patients are left with long-term health implications due to the delay of their medical treatment.

Police fired tear gas bullets less than a hundred yards outside of hospitals I have been working in. This makes our work fraught and more stressful than ever, impacting the treatment patients desperately need.

This sounds like a war zone, and that’s exactly what it feels like from within Hong Kong’s public hospitals.

These issues are well known to hospital management and government officials. Yet, little has been done. The police force simply deny their acts and harass those who raise concerns. I have been labelled a “riot medic” for medically attending to injured protesters, complaints have been filed against me and the police have intimidated, attacked and even arrested my colleagues who have volunteered as first aiders at protests.

The police are no longer interested in protecting the people of Hong Kong. Instead, their aim is to silence those who raise the alarm about what’s happening here.

Since the National Security Law was imposed in Hong Kong on 1 July 2020, the situation has further deteriorated. The government’s Liaison Office has condemned healthcare workers who express their concern about sending Covid-19 medical aid supplied by the mainland to Hong Kong. The consequences for giving medical assistance to protesters could now lead to life imprisonment. Just by penning this article I risk my life, as criticising the government or the police is now strictly prohibited.

I would like to extend my appreciation to the All Party-Parliamentary Group of Hong Kong for undertaking a full international inquiry into human rights abuses perpetrated by the Hong Kong Police Force against medical workers, and for hearing my testimony as a witness. Efforts like this remind us that the world has not forgotten us. Our government has failed to take accusations against the police seriously. This inquiry is a glimmer of justice, something which is quickly disappearing in Hong Kong.

Dr Paula Li is a medical worker in Hong Kong. The author is using a pseudonym to protect her identity.