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Health
(General) training programmes in 2017. OUHK enrolled 241 and 40 pupils in its two-year Higher Diploma in General Health and Higher Diploma in Mental Health Nursing programmes respectively. Another 36 nurses with professional nursing qualifications obtained outside Hong Kong passed the Nursing Council of Hong Kong's licensing examinations and received practising certificates for registered nurses or enrolled nurses.
Self-financing undergraduate programmes in nursing that are subsidised by the government offered 480 places in 2017-18.
The Hospital Authority's three-year higher diploma programme provides basic registered nurse training and enrolled 300 students in 2017. Another 100 pupil nurses were admitted to its two- year enrolled nurse basic training programme.
The Hospital Authority's Institute of Advanced Nursing Studies seeks to strengthen specialty care training for nurses and encourage them to improve professional standards through continuous learning. The institute provides simulation training for new graduates to strengthen their skills in clinical care and medical emergencies. Experienced nurses can apply for scholarships to attend overseas training for international exposure.
Laboratory Services
Government Laboratory
The Government Laboratory offers a comprehensive range of analytical, investigatory and advisory services to support the government in upholding its commitment to protect public health. It spent $238 million in 2016-17 on providing the required services.
In 2017, the laboratory carried out 194,543 tests on foods to ensure they were fit for consumption and complied with legal requirements, and conducted 14,889 tests arising from investigations into food complaints. Some routine testing was outsourced to private laboratories to better utilise its own resources for developing new testing methods and coping with a broadened scope of testing services, and to develop the capabilities of the private laboratory sector.
The laboratory performed more than 54,500 tests on pharmaceutical products and over 83,800 tests on Chinese medicines to ensure they met recognised quality and safety standards and to verify proprietary Chinese medicines were free from western drug adulteration or harmful ingredients. It also supported investigations into the use of undeclared western drugs in preparations and incidents of intoxication suspected to have been caused by misused or contaminated Chinese herbal medicines.
The laboratory provides analytical support in certifying the chemical markers of unregistered proprietary Chinese medicines, and helps develop the HKCMM Standards. It conducts year- round surveillance of tar and nicotine yields in cigarettes.
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