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psychiatric service is concerned, the doctor-to-bed ratio (MDAC)
recommended by the Medical Development Advisory Committee is 1:20 for acute beds and 1:80 for chronic beds but the actual
ratio is 1:100 in general.
The reason why this recommendation of the MDAC cannot
be translated into action is that on the one hand, we experience slow growth in the manpower of psychiatric services, while on the other hand, the demand for psychiatric services is rising. Taking the Castle Peak Hospital as an example, at the beginning of 1987, the number of in-patients stood at 2,403, representing an occupation rate as high as 106% per cent.
Occupancy
According to the information provided by the Health and Welfare Branch, there are a total of 57 fully qualified psychiatrists in Hong Kong, 27 in the government Mental Health Service and 30 in private sector. Although there are 69 doctors working in the Mental Health Service gaining clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorder, only 34 have indicated their interest in obtaining a specialist qualification in psychiatry. The unpopularity of the
psychiatry specialty further hampers the manpower supply in
c. Mental Health Service.
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بهار
عیار
stet
Psychiatric care is very labour intensive.
It
depends a lot on a
a lot on a person-to-person relationship. Worse still, the increasing forensic duties constitute an additional burden.
Needless to say, an undesirable doctor-to-patient ratio and a heavy workload adversely affect the quality and the effectiveness of care to a large extent. Unfortunately, we are facing a rapid turnover rate and a shortage of government medical staff in general, and psychiatrists in particular.
Unless more incentives such as better training
opportunities, working condition and promotion prospects can be made in this area, senior posts in public hospitals and the
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