TNAG-1361-FCO40-1807-Hong-Kong-Hansard-reports-and-minutes-of-the-meetings-of-the-1985 — Page 31

Supplementary to egCo Question No. 5

in Legislative Council on 3 April 1985

Dr. IP :- Sir, would the Director of Medical and Health Services consider drawing up guidelines for the use of child restrainers to be useful and if so, could this be done ?

Director of Medical and Health Services :- Yes, Sir, when I say that I have asked The hospital administration to review the practices this will be one of the matters under review.

Dr. IP :- Sir, excluding thoses cases where restrainers are required for medical reasons and excluding the reality of financial constraints, would Government consider that with a higher nurse/child ratio restrainers need to be used less frequently ?

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Director of Medical and Health Services :- As I said, more staff in the ward are always welcome, but must be a limit to increases in staff. And while I would accept the principle that if a good case is made for increase in staff I would also caution that this by itself will not practically eliminate the use of restrainers.

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Dr. IP :- Sir, last question. Do parents with children in Government hospitals have the absolute right to refuse to have his or her child to be in restrainers, and if they do, could Government consider this as goodgrounds for allowing the parents whose child is very agitated to stay with the child at night and rather than to risk the child falling out of its cot.

Director of Medical and Health Services :- As I said earlier, mothers are welcome to stay in the wards, especially in appropriate cases where the child is fretful or there is a real need for this.