WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1993'
IN ADDITION, BOTH THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SPONSOR NURSES TO ATTEND IN-SERVICE TRAINING COURSES AND CONVERSION DEGREE PROGRAMMES. OTHER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE OVERSEAS CLINICAL SPECIALITY COURSES, IN-SERVICE SPECIALITY TRAINING, A RANGE OF OVERSEAS AND LOCAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES, AND SPECIAL PART- TIME COURSES. IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE ME PERSUADE MY DAUGHTER TO JOIN THE NURSING PROFESSION. WE WILL ALSO INCREASE THE TRAINING CAPACITY FOR STUDENT NURSES AND PUPIL NURSES TO 5,376 THIS YEAR. ALL THESE EFFORTS WILL STRENGTHEN NURSING RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS RAISE THE PROFESSIONAL STATUS OF NURSES.
OF COURSE, I AGREE THE ABOVE MEASURES HAVE SO FAR ONLY MANAGED TO CONTAIN THE PROBLEM. I ALSO AGREE WITH DR HUANG AND HON TAM YIU- CHUNG AND THAT OWING TO COMPETITION, NEW INITIATIVES ARE REQUIRED ΤΟ ATTRACT OUR DECREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE TO JOIN THE NURSING PROFESSION AS A LONG-TERM CAREER. IT IS TIME WE REVIEWED THE WHOLE NURSING ISSUE, TO LAY DOWN A LONG-TERM POLICY AND TO MAP OUT THE WAY FORWARD INCLUDING SUCH ISSUES IMPORTANT AS THEY ARE OF MANNING RATIOS, IN THIS CONNECTION, I CAN CONFIRM THAT THE LEGCO HEALTH PANEL WAS INFORMED AT ITS MEETING ON 8 FEBRUARY 1993 THAT AN INTER-DEPARTMENTAL GROUP INVOLVING THE RELEVANT POLICY BRANCHES, PROFESSIONALS AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS' REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE SET UP TO FORMULATE AN OVERALL STRATEGY AND A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE NURSING PROFESSION. BUT BEFORE WE DO THIS, I MUST STRESS MR PRESIDENT THAT THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY, THE BIGGEST EMPLOYER OF NURSES IN HONG KONG, HAS ALREADY FORMED A WORKING GROUP ON NURSING SERVICES. IT IS LOOKING AT THE OVERALL PROVISION AND SHORTFALL OF NURSES, AND MEASURES TO ALLEVIATE THE SHORTFALL. IT IS ALSO LOOKING AT NURSING EDUCATION
AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, THE CAREER STRUCTURE OF NURSES, RE-DEFINITION OF NURSING DUTIES AND DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS, PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES. IT WILL COME UP WITH PROPOSALS LATER THIS YEAR. THESE WILL SERVE AS A FIRM FOUNDATION FOR FURTHER ACTION. AND I PROPOSE MR PRESIDENT, THAT WE MUST AWAIT THE OUTCOME OF THIS WORKING GROUP BEFORE FORMING THE NEW INTER-DEPARTMENTAL GROUP, OTHERWISE, THERE MAY BE DUPLICATION OF EFFORT, AND TOO MUCH IS AT STAKE FOR US TO GET THINGS WRONG AT THIS STAGE.
WHILST I UNDERSTAND THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL HO'S CONCERN FOR URGENT ACTION, LET US JUST GIVE IT A FEW MORE MONTHS AND THEN LET US GET IT RIGHT. MR PRESIDENT, I AM MOST GRATEFUL TO ALL MEMBERS FOR THE CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS MADE TODAY INCLUDING HONOURABLE MARTIN BARROW AND DR K C LAM'S RATHER IMAGINATIVE SUGGESTIONS ON MORE FLEXIBILITY IN FINDING SOLUTIONS, WE WILL CERTAINLY BEAR THIS IN MIND. BUT WHAT I CAN SAY NOW IS THAT YOU KNOW, A, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF VALUABLE POINTS THAT I WILL REFER TO THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY FOR CONSIDERATION AND ACTION AND TO SAY THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE NURSING SITUATION. COMING BACK TO THE INTER-DEPARTMENTAL GROUP, WE INTEND TO COME UP WITH THE REPORT BY THE END OF THE YEAR AND I HOPE HONOURABLE MEMBERS WILL GIVE US THE MUCH-NEEDED SUPPORT WHEN PROPOSALS FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING COME BEFORE YOU. THEY WILL GIVE OUR FLORENCE NIGHTINGALES AND THE MALE COUNTERPARTS THE BOOST THAT THEY VERY MUCH DESERVE.
THANK YOU, MR PRESIDENT.
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