A 51-year-old outsourced government cleaner who suffered a heart attack at a protest is in a stable condition after undergoing surgery, according to the Hospital Authority.
The female Nepalese contractor employee was found ill during her working hours at a Canal Road Public Toilet last Sunday, as thousands gathered in Causeway Bay to protest the looming national security law drafted by Beijing.
Health authorities recorded 19 casualties – 13 men and six women aged 16 to 72 – that day.
The cleaner may have had the heart attack when several demonstrators ran into the toilet, according to local media.
She was assisted by first aiders on-site and sent to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai, where she underwent heart surgery and remained in a critical condition.
A spokesperson for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said in a statement on Monday that it was providing the worker’s family members with appropriate assistance.
“We are saddened by the incident and have sent our regards to the worker, wishing her a speedy recovery. We will maintain contact with her family through the service contractor to provide appropriate support and assistance to them as far as practicable,” they added.