Sixth medic dies after contracting virus As Hong Kong mourns the loss of another frontline worker, the Health Authority is accused of failing to protect its staff following news that three more have fallen sick.

(From South China Morning Post)

Byline: Patsy Moy

Hong Kong lost its sixth medic to Sars yesterday when nose and throat specialist Thomas Cheung Sik-hin died after taking care of patients with the virus.

Cheung, 58, was among four people who died of Sars yesterday, taking the toll to 278. He was the third doctor to die of Sars after Lau Tai-kwan, 56, and Joanna Tse Yuen-man, 35, of Tuen Mun Hospital. The other three medical workers to lose their lives after contracting the virus at work were male nurse Lau Wing-kai, 38, from Tuen Mun Hospital and two health-care assistants from United Christian Hospital: Tang Heung-may, 36 and Lau Kam-yung, 47. Cheung was believed to have contracted the virus from a patient he was treating at his private clinic in Yau Ma Tei. He was admitted to hospital on April 24, according to the Department of Health.

The department has traced 148 people who had contact with Cheung, including patients and family members. None has showed symptoms so far.

Legislator Lo Wing-lok, president of the Hong Kong Medical Association, had been friends with Cheung for more than 10 years and described him as a "very gentle and friendly" person who was a musician and philanthropist. He was a member of both the Hong Kong Medical Association Orchestra and the choir, which holds charity concerts every year.

The Hong Kong Medical Association said it was planning a memorial service for Cheung. Meanwhile, fears of a Sars outbreak in North District Hospital emerged yesterday after three medical workers there were confirmed to have contracted the virus.