The latest issue of Time Asia magazine, on sale Monday, saluted 29 Asian Heroes 2003, with the medical staff from Hong Kong's Prince of Wales Hospital listed as a group on top of the hero-list for their devotion in the treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) patients.

"Dirty Team" (medical staff in charge of SARS patients) described by Time Asia at the Prince of Wales Hospital and health-care workers at Singapore's Tan Tock Seng Hospital were named by the Time Asia as SARS heroes for their willingness to place themselves on the frontlines of the war against the killer disease.

David Hui, doctor in charge of the SARS patients at the Prince of Wales Hospital said in an interview with Xinhua that "we've just managed to do our duties. The policemen and firemen would surely fight against criminal acts and fire when they are on call. We are just the same," he said.

Shen Jao Yiu, head of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said it's in fact an honor to all health care workers in Hong Kong.

He and his students also took part in the battle against SARS at Prince of Wales hospital.

Around 20 doctors and another over 100 nurses are taking care of SARS patients at Prince of Wales Hospital now, which has received 104 SARS patients.

Hui said his hospital has received over 270 SARS patients since March 11. Apart from 84 in four wards and another 20 in intensive care units, and around 5 percent of toll, all the others have been discharged from his hospital.

Hui said that health-care workers at his hospital had to work 14 hours a day for rescuing lives of the SARS patients in March when they did not know much about SARS, and about 70 of his colleagues were infected with the disease for lack of infection protection then.

He said even now, they worked 12 hours a day and 5 percent of them still were infected with the disease.

He said some elder patients could not bear the wearing of masks all day long and their coughing and even vomiting during nurses' feeding make the situation more dangerous.

However, he felt most satisfied when seeing patients off his hospital and his colleagues recovered.

Hui said around 30 of his colleagues discharged from his hospital earlier had come back to other posts of his hospital and another 20 would return to posts in the coming two weeks.

As other doctors and nurses at his hospital, Hui also has his worries. He did not dare to visit his parents at their 70s for over the past 40 days for fear of possible virus spreading. His mother called him every other day to check if he is still well.

Health care workers have already become real heroes in hearts of many Hong Kong residents. Tributes pour in for medical teams in many public hospitals in treatment of SARS patients.

Hong Kong residents sent cards and donated money for buying protection facilities for medical staff fighting against SARS. The messages convey people's appreciation to the doctors and nurses who are putting their lives on the line every day.

Other Asian Heroes named by Time Asia magazine include Yao Ming, Yo Yo Ma, A-Kuei, Stephen Chow and Satoshi Fukushima.

Yao Ming has become a well known figure in the global eye for jamming with the very best of the MBA.

Yo-Yo Ma is an internationally recognized musician, whose Silk Road Project explores the musical currents and cultural interdependence of countries along the ancient central Asian routes.

A-kuei is a Taiwanese e-cartoon character whose carefree personality and off-beat adventures have won him fans in Taiwan, the Chinese mainland and Japan.

Stephen Chow started off with nothing but has pulled himself up to start status through wit, will and a keen appreciation for the cinematic uses of insanity.

Satoshi Fukushima, the first deaf and blind professor at Tokyo University, has helped break down prejudices and misperceptions of handicapped people, and helped found the Japan Deaf-Blind Association.

(People's Daily April 22, 2003)