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Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, at a media stand-up session after attending a public event today (April 17):
Reporter: (On 44 working hours proposed by doctors)
Secretary for Food and Health: We cannot make a generalised decision on the 44 hours per week, because there are different types of specialties in terms of doctors. For example, those who work in the accident and emergency department, anesthesia, and also intensive care unit, they need to work continuously during those 44 hours. In many other specialties, like medicine, paediatrics, orthopaedics and so on, they do need to look after patients in case of needs. And the condition of every patient is different. Some may require quite long and continuous attention. So I think it is important to decide amongst the specialties themselves what are the optimum working hours and working pattern. There is also a need for doctors to acquire certain experience before they can be qualified as specialists. There are also requirements that are decided by the various colleges of the Academy of Medicine. So I think it is up to the doctors and the Hospital Authority to come to some sort of agreement on how to address those issues. Certainly we would not like to see doctors leaving the public service because they are providing a very important service to our public. I think 90% and over of our in-patients are still being looked after by the Hospital Authority.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Sunday, April 17, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:43
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