This is to acknowledge receipt of your e-mail message.
 
(The above is generated by an auto-reply programme)
 
 
 
Hospital Authority ([1]www.ha.org.hk)
 
 
=====================================
 
謝謝閣下的電子郵件。
 
（以上為電腦自動發出的訊息）
 
 
 
醫院管理局 ([2]www.ha.org.hk)
 
 
=====================================
 
谢谢阁下的电子邮件。
 
（以上为电脑自动发出的讯息）
 
 
 
医院管理局 ([3]www.ha.org.hk)
 
  ________________________________  

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/www.ha.org.hk
2. file:///tmp/www.ha.org.hk
3. file:///tmp/www.ha.org.hk

Dear Mrs Van de Pol,

Thank you for your Application for Access to Information dated 7 December
2021. The Department of Health also transferred your same request to the
Hospital Authority (HA) on 7 December 2021 for handling.

As the processing of your request involves consultation with the
departments concerned, we are unable to provide you with the information
sought at this stage. You will be advised further in relation to your
request on or before 24 December 2021.

Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Chu(Miss)

Access to Information Officer

Hospital Authority Head Office

(Tel.: 2300 6568/2300 6555)

show quoted sections

Dear Mrs Van de Pol,

Further to my reply dated 16 December 2021, please find below the Hospital
Authority (HA) Head Office’s response to the items you requested:

Remdesivir can be an option of treatment for COVID-19 under conditional
approval by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong. The HA does not
have customised records/information which indicate the number of patients
in hospitals that have been prescribed remdesivir, the condition/disease
the patient was suffering from and the outcome of the disease (i.e.
recovered or died). According to paragraph 1.14 of the Code on Access to
Information, the Code does not oblige departments to create a record which
does not exist.

You may wish to note that there are local studies on the use of remdesivir
for patients with COVID-19. The relevant studies can be accessed via
[1]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34265054/, which might be of interest
to you.

If you have any questions about this reply, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Chu(Miss)

Access to Information Officer

Hospital Authority Head Office

(Tel.: 2300 6568/2300 6555)

From: [2][Hospital Authority request email]
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2021 7:03 PM
To: '[FOI #898 email]'
Cc: '[email address]'
Subject: Application for Access to Information (Allyson van de Pol)
Freedom of Information request - Use of Remdesivir in Hospitals

Dear Mrs Van de Pol,

Thank you for your Application for Access to Information dated 7 December
2021. The Department of Health also transferred your same request to the
Hospital Authority (HA) on 7 December 2021 for handling.

As the processing of your request involves consultation with the
departments concerned, we are unable to provide you with the information
sought at this stage. You will be advised further in relation to your
request on or before 24 December 2021.

Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Chu(Miss)

Access to Information Officer

Hospital Authority Head Office

(Tel.: 2300 6568/2300 6555)

show quoted sections

This is to acknowledge receipt of your e-mail message.
 
(The above is generated by an auto-reply programme)
 
 
 
Hospital Authority ([1]www.ha.org.hk)
 
 
=====================================
 
謝謝閣下的電子郵件。
 
（以上為電腦自動發出的訊息）
 
 
 
醫院管理局 ([2]www.ha.org.hk)
 
 
=====================================
 
谢谢阁下的电子邮件。
 
（以上为电脑自动发出的讯息）
 
 
 
医院管理局 ([3]www.ha.org.hk)
 
  ________________________________  

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/www.ha.org.hk
2. file:///tmp/www.ha.org.hk
3. file:///tmp/www.ha.org.hk

Dear Mrs Van de Pol,

Thank you for your email dated 21 December 2021 in which you made a
request to the Hospital Authority (HA) for a review of the HA Head
Office’s response dated 20 December 2021.

As the departments concerned need more time to process your request, you
will be advised further in relation to your request on or before 10
January 2022.

Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Chu(Miss)

Access to Information Officer

Hospital Authority Head Office

(Tel.: 2300 6568/2300 6555)

show quoted sections

Dear Mrs Van de Pol,

Further to my reply dated 30 December 2021, please find below the outcome
of the Hospital Authority (HA) Head Office’s review of the response dated
20 December 2021.

The provision of the requested information would involve retrieval,
standardisation, verification and compilation of raw data.  Staff in the
departments concerned in the HA Head Office and hospitals would have to be
diverted from their core duties and other more urgent work, which would
affect the execution of the HA’s proper functions. Hence, the HA is unable
to accede to your request for the reason set out in paragraph 2.9(d) of
the Code on Access to Information which states:

“Information which could only be made available by unreasonable diversion
of departments’ resources.” (paragraph 2.9(d))

If you believe that the HA has failed to properly apply any provision of
the Code on Access to Information, you may complain to the Ombudsman
(email: [1][email address] or postal address: 30/F, China
Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Hong
Kong).

You may wish to know that for academic research, the HA has in place a
mechanism and standard procedures for handling external data request
applications. [[2]Standard Procedures] and [[3]Personal Information
Collection Statement (PICS)] are applicable to all data request
applications.  For details, please visit
[4]http://www3.ha.org.hk/data/Provision/Ind....  In brief, there are two
options under the current mechanism, namely Option A and Option B with
details as follows:

Option A: Expedited Approach

There are five pre-defined datasets on the utilisation of different HA
core services that the requestor can choose from, each with specific data
measures and well-defined classification variables. The output is a set of
aggregate summary count data on specific measures analysed by detailed
classification variables. The turnaround time would be shorter, and the
charge for processing the request ($15,000 or above, depending on the data
selection and specification) would be lower as compared to Option B.

Option B: Customised Approach

The customised approach is applicable if the requestor requires
patient-based records or aggregate data other than those covered by Option
A. In the case where the application is accepted by the HA, a charge will
be imposed on the requestor for the provision of data which are customised
according to the research protocol ($60,000 or above, depending on the
complexity of the request), calculated based on the agreed data
requirements and resources required for generating the customised
dataset(s).

The requestor will need to submit the following documents by email to the
Central Panel on Administrative Assessment of External Data Requests at
[5][email address]:

·         Project Information Sheet (if opt for Option A) or research
protocol (if opt for Option B);

·         Completed Data Request Application Form (Form A or B) in WORD
format to spell out the data specifications and their relevance to the
requestor’s research; and

·         Documentary proof of research ethics approval (applicable only
to requests for patient-based records).

If you have any questions about this reply, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Chu(Miss)

Access to Information Officer

Hospital Authority Head Office

(Tel.: 2300 6568/2300 6555)

From: [6][Hospital Authority request email]
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2021 3:21 PM
To: '[FOI #898 email]'
Subject: Application for Access to Information (Allyson van de Pol)
Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Use of Remdesivir in
Hospitals

Dear Mrs Van de Pol,

Thank you for your email dated 21 December 2021 in which you made a
request to the Hospital Authority (HA) for a review of the HA Head
Office’s response dated 20 December 2021.

As the departments concerned need more time to process your request, you
will be advised further in relation to your request on or before 10
January 2022.

Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Chu(Miss)

Access to Information Officer

Hospital Authority Head Office

(Tel.: 2300 6568/2300 6555)

show quoted sections