XN000022-1974-10-31 — Page 11

10

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1974.

IN SUMMING UP, HE SAID: +WHILE THE WHITE PAPER INDICATES A STEP FORWARD IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, IT HAS NOT GONE FAR ENOUGH IN COPING WITH OUR PRESENT NEEDS AND SOLVING THE BASIC EDUCATION PROELEM.+

REFERRING TO THE HANDICAPPED, DR. FANG NOTED THAT LITTLE PROVISION WAS MADE FOR THEM IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND THERE WAS STILL MUCH DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THEIR EMPLOYMENT.

HE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT SOME PROVISIONS BE MADE FOR THEM IN THE MAJOR, IF NOT ALL THE STATIONS, OF THE MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM.

+BEING HANDICAPPED IS NOT SHAMEFUL: NOT TAKING THE HANDICAPPED INTO ACCOUNT IN OUR SOCIAL PLANNING IS,+ HE STRESSED.

+IN OUR SOCIETY, THERE REMAINS MUCH PREJUDICE AGAINST THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE DISABLED DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TRAINED AND ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE SPECIFIC DUTIES. THE JOB REQUIRES. +IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES, THE LAW STIPULATES A THREE PER CENT EMPLOYMENT RATE OF THE HANDICAPPED IN INDUSTRIES. OUR GOVERNMENT, THE BIGGEST EMPLOYER IN HONG KONG, AND ENGAGING THE LARGEST NUMBER OF HANDICAPPED, HAS NO MORE THAN 0.3 PER CENT ON ITS PAYROLL, WHICH IS CERTAINLY NOT A RECORD WE CAN BE PROUD OF.+

HE APPEALED TO BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO GIVE THESE PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP THEMSELVES..

TURNING TO MEDICAL SERVICES, DR. FANG URGED THAT THE PLANS FOR EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF MEDICAL SERVICES OUTLINED IN THE RECENT MEDICAL WHITE PAPER, DE IMPLEMENTED WITH +ALL POSSIBLE SPEED+.

HE EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER THE PROVISION OF DOCTORS TO MAN THE EXISTING AND PROPOSED SERVICES.

+RECRUITMENT STATISTICS IN THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS FROM 1970 SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A TOTAL INTAKE OF 595 DOCTORS, WHEREAS WASTAGE AMOUNTED TO 414 SO THAT THE ACTUAL GAIN WAS A MERE 181 OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS,+ HE SAID.

+WHAT IS MORE ALARMING IS THAT THE ANNUAL WASTAGE FIGURES OVER THIS PERIOD OF TIME HAVE BEEN STEADILY INCREASING, FROM 63 IN 1970 TO 102 IN 1973. QUOTING THE MEDICAL WHITE PAPER AGAIN, IT WAS CALCULATED THAT, BY 1982, WASTAGE AND RECRUITMENT WILL DE MORE OR LESS IN BALANCE IN THAT NET RECRUITMENT MIGHT BE IN THE ORDER OF ONLY 10 DOCTORS A YEAR.+

IT WAS EVIDENT THEREFORE, DR. FANG SAID, UNLESS THE INTAKE OF DOCTORS WAS STEPPED UP CONSIDERABLY, AND GOVERNMENT SUCCEEDED IN SEEKING A WAY TO KEEP MORE DOCTORS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE, +WE WOULD EITHER PUT A TREMENDOUS WORKLOAD ON THE DOCTORS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE, OR WE WOULD JEOPARDIZE OUR QUALITY OF PUBLIC MEDICAL SERVICE -- OR WE DO EOTH.+

/11