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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Joseph Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (November 18):
Question:
In line with the Administration's general civil service recruitment freeze, work process re-engineering, re-organisation and re-deployment of manpower to cut expenditure since April 2003, the Department of Health (DH) also cut part of its services and manpower. In 2008, the Administration resumed civil service recruitment, and at the same time, DH also began to provide various additional services. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the nursing staff establishment for each type of services provided by DH before it cut its expenditure in 2003;
(b) of the types of services and number of nursing staff cut by DH since April 2003, together with a breakdown by rank of the reduction in manpower;
(c) of the details of the additional services provided by DH since the resumption of civil service recruitment in 2008; the number of additional nursing staff recruited by DH to provide those services, together with a breakdown by rank of the additional staff; and
(d) of the nursing staff establishment for each type of services currently provided by DH?
Reply:
President,
(a) The general out-patient service under the Department of Health (DH) was taken over by the Hospital Authority (HA) in July 2003. After the transfer of the service, the establishment of the Registered Nurse (RN) grade under the DH was 1,107 and the details are set out in Annex 1. The actual number of RN grade staff in service was 1,078.
(b) Upon implementation of the Efficiency Savings Programme and the Second Voluntary Retirement Scheme by the Government, the establishment of the RN grade under the DH was gradually reduced to 952 as at March 2008. Details of the posts reduced are set out in Annex 2.
The actual number of RN grade staff in service was 913 as at March 2008. During the same period, the DH employed 70 to 80 contract nurses. Through work process re-engineering and re-organisation, the DH enhanced its efficiency while maintaining all the existing services. In addition, the DH established the Centre for Health Protection in 2004 so as to strengthen various services for disease control and prevention.
(c) In 2008 and 2009, the DH launched four new services, i.e. the Elderly Health Care Voucher Pilot Scheme, the Childhood Pneumococcal Vaccination Programme, the Childhood Influenza Vaccination Subsidy Scheme and the Elderly Vaccination Subsidy Scheme.
Since the resumption of recruitment of civil servants by the Government in March 2008, the DH has conducted three rounds of recruitment exercise for RNs. A total of 211 RNs have been recruited to cope with new services and to fill the vacancies arising from natural wastage. The DH has also employed 30 contract nurses (25 of whom have already reported duty) to assist in the time-limited work related to the pneumococcal vaccination catch-up programme.
(d) The existing establishment of the RN grade under the DH is 1,079 and the details are set out in Annex 3. The actual number of RN grade staff in service is also 1,079.
Ends/Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:43
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