The work pressure in the public health system is notoriously high and the medical and caring staffs are always working under extremely tight schedules. There are many patients in public hospitals but seldom are there comments which show the heart with feelings. There is a “Master Ng” in the Pharmacy of the Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) who through the little dispensing window of the pharmacy listened to sufferings of a young girl afflicted with chronic diseases and saved the life of a patient who was queuing up for drugs at the critical moment. Master Ng said, “The patients are the real bosses and they should always be the top priority”. What a comment which indeed warrants the respect that many are so fond of addressing him as the “Master”.
Master Ng’s full name is Ng Ping Hei. In fact he has just been promoted from “Master” to “Sir” last year, meaning he is now the Chief Dispenser of the QMH. Amongst a total of about 1,500 staffs working in the pharmacies of all the public hospitals in Hong Kong, there are only 15 Chief Dispensers. He added, “This is a tradition of pharmacy here. The freshmen at the job will call the other colleagues seniors; the senior dispensers will be addressed as masters and the chief dispenser will be called sirs.
Ng Ping Hei is well-versed in the Pharmacy of the QMH. Though just slightly over 40, he has been working in the same place for almost 20 years. He shared with a smile that he had only applied for one job so far in his life: “When I was studying at IVE, I did two years of internship and both of them happened to be at the QMH! May be this is fate.”
One Job for Twenty Years
A lot of freshmen always talk of switching jobs. The thought of one job in the same organisation and even within the same department for twenty years sounds inconceivable and incredulous. For Ng Ping Hei, “If you are willing to learn, you will never find your job here boring”. He explained that as the QMH is the leading hospital in Hong Kong, it provides nearly 2,000 different types of drugs and medicines to all patients including out-patients and in-patients, which is at least ten times more than a small out-patient clinic; in addition, there are also other job positions which are less common in other hospitals, like the preparation of intravenous injection of nutrition and chemotherapy. Ng Ping Hei has of his own accord requested to work in other job positions including drug procurements, storage, IT support, administration, etc. which makes him what he is today, “Master Ng” or “Ng Sir”.
“Be in the shoes of the patients and go an extra mile”, is what Ng Ping Hei always says. He is just delighted to come from behind the little dispensing window and be the bridge between the hospital and the patients. Once there was an old woman who happened to have lost all her drugs in the bus. She was very distressed and went back to the hospital and wept. Ng Ping Hei stepped in to contact the doctor in charge and arranged to have the prescriptions done for her again. On another occasion, there was a patient who all of a sudden had difficulty in breathing while he was queuing up for the drugs. In view of the urgency of the critical situation, he gave the drugs to the patient immediately after ascertaining his identity which helped resolve the crisis. The patient sent him a thank you letter afterwards. But what really counts is to be able to help in time and it really gave him a sense of fulfilment and gratification.
“The most impressive one was a young girl of about 20 years old but requested over 50 different types of drugs”. Ng Ping Hei saw that she was very depressed and spared the time to approach her and asked about her health. He was told that she suffered from a disorder in her immune system which leads to chronic diseases. “Sometimes, people go to the hospitals not just for the treatment and drugs, but rather look forward to some type of care and respect for their feelings”. Thereafter, whenever Ng Ping Hei came across her in the hospital for drugs, he would approach her and give her a hearty support.
Appropriate Indulgence will help Work
Ng Ping Hei has only one job in his entire working career but his pastimes are multifarious, comprising classical music, photography and philosophy. As a graduate from IVE (Chai Wan), he shared with a big grin that he should thank the school library for holding all sorts of magazines such as hi-fidelity, motor cars and literature: “Education at VTC not only focus on a particular vocational skill, but also the whole person developments of the students”. Today, he is contributing back to his alma mater and keeping close contacts with his teachers. He is also responsible for coordinating the internship programme for VTC students at the QMH Pharmacy every year.
His wide interests also help with his work and career development. “When I first started, I was very shy and did not know how to communicate with other colleagues”. But his liking for hi-fi and his knowledge in classical music made it easier for him to start the chat. “As an example, when the wife of a colleague is pregnant, they would ask me to recommend them appropriate classical music”. He also said that he was not good at speech when he was young. As he is fond of philosophy and also admired the renowned Mr. Lee Tien Ming, he began to read the book “The Art of Thought of Lee Tien Ming” and he also learned the techniques of speech from the book. “In the office, good communication skill is very important, so I learn and practise how to speak precisely and concisely ”
There is this saying, “trifling destroys the will”. For Master Ng, as long as a person knows his limits and can master well, an indulgence in pastimes can actually nurture one’s commitment and character, and also facilitate him in pathing a career.
