84. The Committee also endorses in principle any schemes which can satisfactorily be drawn up to reduce the westage of trained general nurses and to attract trained general nurses back into service through the award of incremental credit for approved post-registration qualifica- tions and for approved previous experience.
85. The replies to enquiries made of Government-assisted hospitals show, generally speaking, that their present training capacity is ade- quate, and that if plans for expansion of medical facilities exist there are plans to expand nurse and midwife training facilities pari passu. One hospital, at present lacking facilities for training general nurses (as opposed to auxiliaries), is experiencing difficulty in filling its general nurse posts by direct recruitment, and is studying the possibility of opening a training school for such. It seems that there is scope here for consideration in the future of the feasibility of the project by all interested parties. One factor in the problem would be the extent to which, if at all, aided-hospital's nursing staff could be trained in the proposed third Government training school for general nurses.
CHAPTER 8
PROVISION OF A SCHOOLS DENTAL CARE SERVICE (INCLUDING TRAINING OF DENTISTS' ASSISTANTS)
86. The need for the dental care of school-children appears to the Committee self-evident.
87. The first step towards creating a service for this is the establish- ment of a school to produce dental nurses. These train for two years, after which they are qualified to carry out simple fillings on children. (In this they differ from dental surgery assistants, whose function is to assist a dental officer by handing him instruments, mixing cement etc., and who receive in-service training).
88. Plans are already well-advanced for the establishment of a dental nurse training school in a composite building that would also house a school-children's dental clinic of 30 chairs. On dental officer can supervise 15 dental nurses, and it is estimated that no more than 12 dental officers would be needed for the whole school-children's service.
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89. An 8,000 sq. ft. site at Morrison Hill has been reserved next to the Tang Chi Ngong Specialist Clinic for a 10-storey building. This would be sufficient to accommodate, besides the dental nurse training school and the school-children's dental clinic, the dental officers' laboratories and chairs now in the Wan Chai Polyclinic. The total cost of the building, at present prices, is estimated at $5,754,000 excluding furniture and equipment.
90. It is envisaged that the school will turn out 30 dental nurses a year and six dental hygienists a year. (The latter receive one year's training and teach dental hygiene including correct diets). The school- children's dental clinic can begin to function two years after the training school opens, i.e. when the first batch of student nurses graduates. If early approval is received from Government the building could be ready in 1977 or 1978. The school would thus produce its first 30 graduates in 1979-80, together with six dental hygienists, and the scheme could get under way with primary one school-children as a start.
91. It is further envisaged that eventually a second school-children's dental clinic, also with 30 chairs, will be established. A site for this might be found in the Kowloon Hospital compound.
CHAPTER 9
A TARGET FOR THE NUMBER OF DENTISTS CONSIDERED APPROPRIATE BY 1982, AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH LOCAL TRAINING FACILITIES SHOULD BE PROVIDED
92. The main factors affecting the future needs for dentists in Hong Kong include:
(a) service to the general public (the private sector), (b) staffing of the School-children's Dental Service,
(c) staffing of the Government Dental Service,
(d) replacement of those emigrating or ceasing to practise.
93. The number of dentists registered with the Dental Council as
at 31st December, 1972, was 485. After excluding those who are known
to have ceased practice due to retirement, death or emigration, the
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