Today is Father’s Day. First of all, I would like to wish all fathers a Happy Father’s Day! In my previous blog posts, I have also invited colleagues of our departments who are fathers to share their stories on Father’s Day. This time, the good father I would like to introduce to you is someone whose youngest son was born last December, when he was taking part in the temporary hospital construction project day and night in the fight against the pandemic. He will share with us how he strikes a balance between work and his family responsibilities. I will also invite a “qualified” colleague to comment if he is a good father.

Supervising the expansion of Princess Margaret Hospital

Mr TANG Shing-yan, Otto, joined the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) in 2018. Currently a Project Manager, Mr Otto TANG is mainly responsible for the co-ordination and planning of works projects in whole, and the management of construction progress to ensure timely completion of projects as scheduled and within financial budget. Currently, he is taking part in the expansion of Lai King Building in Princess Margaret Hospital, which is one of the major projects under the Ten-year Hospital Development Plan. The project includes the construction of a new extension block and a link bridge next to Lai King Building. Upon completion of the expansion, the hospital can provide more than 500 additional beds.

Becoming a father again during the fight against the pandemic

Talking about unforgettable work experience, Mr Otto TANG tells us that it has to be the temporary hospital project completed early this year (now named the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre), which had to be constructed under a very tight schedule to fight the pandemic. In August last year, he and his team were tasked to complete the construction of six ward blocks providing more than 800 isolation beds within four months. The project also included a central medical block with a pharmacy and laboratories, as well as other ancillary medical facilities. Although the project sounded like a mission impossible to complete, it was, in the end, completed smoothly thanks to the co-operation of various departments, teams and contractors. At the time the construction of the temporary hospital entered its final stage and all parties were working hard to make it to the acceptance stage, he became a father for the second time, making his hands really, really full.

Looking after his family with care amid the pandemic

During the fight against the pandemic, on top of his heavy workload, Mr Otto TANG had to take care of his family including his wife, his elder daughter who was only six, and a newborn son. One can imagine how stressful it was for him. According to Mr Otto TANG, what worried him the most back then was how to take his newborn son home from the hospital. As he describes it, he was fully alert and vigilant, and adhered to every preventive measure throughout the journey. The first thing now he does after getting home from work is to take a shower before having dinner with his family or spending time with his children.

Putting away the phone to spend time with family

Working long hours, Mr Otto TANG often gets home late – even more so while working to a tight schedule for the temporary hospital project. Finally his daughter grumbled about it, which made him feel guilty. He realised the importance of spending quality time with family; so from then on, he will put away his mobile phone while having a meal with his family or having fun with his children, giving them full attention so that they get to really enjoy the happy time with their daddy. Now that the pandemic has cooled down a bit, he will make time at weekends to take his energetic daughter outside to “discharge” and let her exercise.

Trying hard to overcome difficulties

As regards expectations of his children, he takes his experience with the construction of the temporary hospital as an example, wishing that his children will not easily give up in the face of difficulties that seem “impossible to overcome”, but instead try their best and think out of the box to find a solution. The bigger the problem, the greater the satisfaction from resolving it.

Mr Otto TANG’s wife, Ms FONG Man-sze, Anny, also works as a Project Manager at the ArchSD. They are both busy with work in their own sections. She praises her husband for not only working hard, but also trying his very best to look after and teach the children with time, patience and love. Particularly as she has been busy caring for their newborn son, the responsibility of taking care of their daughter has fallen on her husband’s shoulder. She used to spend more time with her daughter who was therefore especially close to her. Thanks to her husband’s effort, however, her daughter has felt the father’s love and become closer to him; so on behalf of her daughter, she wants to say “thank you” to her husband. Having shared Mr Otto TANG’s story, I believe you understand how challenging it is to be a working parent. Let us thank all the fathers and mothers who work hard with the burden of caring for the family on their shoulders.