XN000022-1996-09-14+15 — Page 6

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Rehabilitation International is a federation of national and international organisations working for the prevention of disability, the rehabilitation and equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities and their families.

The Congress will look into the key issues of access, human rights and vision. Mrs Fok will address the participants on Hong Kong's rehabilitation policy on Monday (September 16).

Mrs Fok and Mr Choi will fly to Australia on Tuesday (September 17) where they will call on the New South Wales Department of Health and the Department of Ageing and Disability. They will also take the opportunity to study the local health reforms, health financing options, disabled and rehabilitation services, as well as the elderly care programmes.

They will return to Hong Kong on Friday (September 20).

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Applications for health courses invited

Applications are now invited for the next round of health worker training courses organised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) in conjunction with three professional health care training institutes.

The three institutes are the College of Nursing Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Red Cross and the Hong Kong St John Ambulance Association.

"This is the sixth round of training courses since 1995," a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department said today (Saturday).

"The courses are organised with an aim to meeting the demand for health care staff in residential care homes for the elderly as well as raising the professional standard of health workers."

SWD plans to train 630 health workers in 1996-97. The first of the next round of courses is scheduled to start on December 6.

"Under the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Regulation, all health workers are required, among other things, to complete training approved by the Director of Social Welfare before being qualified for registration," the spokesman said.