Infectious diseases facility ‘arranged behind the scenes,’ accuses lawmaker

This building is expected to be demolished to give place to the infectious diseases facility

Representatives of the Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM) and the New Macau Association (ANM), as well as concerned residents, held a demonstration yesterday in S. Francisco Garden and on the rooftop of a residential building to protest the construction of a proposed infectious diseases facility.
The proposed building – which the government says will allow health services to act promptly and effectively to counter potential outbreaks of infectious diseases – has been slated for construction in downtown Macau near the Conde S. Januário Hospital.
The Health Bureau of Macau (SSM) has announced its intention to demolish at least two buildings and construct what demonstrators describe as “an enormous 60-meter high infectious diseases center […] in a densely populated area.”
Among those in attendance yesterday were ANM president Scott Chiang and lawmakers José Pereira Coutinho, Au Kam San and Ng Kuok Cheong. Coutinho was representing ATFPM,
of which he was recently re-­elected president.
“We agree that the building is needed, but not here,” said Coutinho. “We are really fed up with what the government has been doing here […] it is clear that the government has arranged everything behind the scenes.”
Coutinho says that the government did not consult residents in the area over the proposed construction.
“The government has already made the decision. [The fact that there has been no consultation implies] there is dirty business behind the decision,” he told reporters on the roof of a residential building overlooking one of the historic structures to be demolished.
According to SSM, the infectious diseases building must commence operations by 2019, lest the government be unable to control the spread of diseases in future.
One resident told reporters that she is concerned about the close proximity of the facility. According to protestors, the building will be located just 3.5 meters away from her residential building and just 30 meters from a large kindergarten and school.
The resident, who declined to be identified, expressed her concerns about the potential spread of infectious diseases to herself and her son.
SSM has previously asserted that the World Health Organization (WHO) has no guidelines regarding the locations of infectious diseases facilities. They claim that the facility’s proposed location is “absolutely safe” and “in accordance with all WHO standards,” provided that there is an adequate ventilation system.
However, demonstrators noted yesterday that while WHO may have no specific guidelines, the Chinese Ministry of Health prescribes clear regulations over such issues, decreeing that any facility “should avoid densely populated areas such as schools, residential zones and water supplies.”
“To prevent cross-infection, the density of buildings should remain low to ensure natural flow of air,” state the Chinese Ministry of Health’s guidelines, as cited by the demonstrators. “Thus the infectious disease center should be at least 20 to 25 meters away from other hospital buildings and […] should be far away from kindergartens, schools and other populated public facilities.”
The protestors said that they have written to WHO for their professional opinion on their alleged endorsement of the project, but have not yet received a response.
Asked what they hope to achieve from yesterday’s rooftop protest, the demonstrators voiced their demands for the government to halt the project and consider relocating it to a less densely populated area, such as Coloane. In the words of lawmaker Coutinho, “The government needs to rewind and rethink [the project].”
Coutinho also believes that Coloane would be a superior location for the new facility. “Coloane is a better choice, near the new hospital [that is under construction], and far away from the densely populated areas of Macau,” he remarked. “But the government never considered other places to build the infectious diseases building.”
He also agreed that the new public hospital in Coloane should take priority over the proposed facility, thus giving the government an alternative location for the infectious diseases building before beginning construction. Daniel Beitler

Cultural heritage threatened

Demonstrators at yesterday’s rooftop protest also expressed their alarm at the impact of the proposed building on Macau’s cultural heritage and landscape.
A demonstrator, who identified himself solely as Mr Cheang, showed ‘before and after’ photos of Macau’s landscape and downtown area. The ‘after photo’ featured an artist’s impression of the 60-meter-high building, which noticeably altered and obstructed parts of Macau’s landscape.
The construction of the new facility will require the demolition of at least two historic buildings in downtown Macau, including a century-old building that was used as a drug rehabilitation center.
Lawmaker Coutinho said, “Having a 100-year-old building near you is a real treasure, even if it is not included in the UNESCO [World Heritage Site] listing.”
“We will never have buildings like these again,” he added.