Hill climbers often underestimate the difficulty of their trek, volunteers say
Volunteer flying doctors who go to the aid of people ill or injured in inaccessible parts of Hong Kong have called on hikers to be better prepared and more aware of their limitations before taking to the hills.
The head of the Government Flying Services' medical outreach team, Lau Chor-chiu, says a common problem for hikers who have to be rescued is that they overestimate their ability and underestimate the difficulty of their trek.
'Some people are physically fit but they get lost because of lack of preparation in studying the route. Some do not bring enough water and equipment,' said Dr Lau, who founded the voluntary medical service in 2000.
A team drawn from 33 doctors and 24 nurses, most from public accident and emergency departments, is on duty from 9.30am to 6pm, Friday to Monday, and on public holidays.
'Those are the popular days for hiking and the number of incidents in mountains is usually higher,' said Dr Lau, a consultant in emergency medicine at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.
