Frontline perspective: Volunteers for medicine pickup, delivery

In a small office in Central Hong Kong on Monday, retired pharmacist Chiang Sau-chu was busy answering phone calls with nine other volunteers. On the other side of the phone were residents who couldn't pick up their medicine, as the city has been embroiled in the worst-ever period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chiang, 67, didn't expect the phone on her desk would keep ringing almost non-stop from 9 am to 9 pm.

"I expected only 200 calls, which turned out to be over 1,000 phone calls at the end of the day," Chiang, director of the Hong Kong Pharmaceutical Care Foundation, told China Daily after calling it a day around 9:30 pm.

The interview had to be rescheduled due to Chiang's crammed day.

Unfortunately, despite a non-stop workday of over 12 hours, Chiang and her colleagues were not able to arrange medicine delivery for about 700 calls for help, due to the shortage of helpers and the unexpected workload.