Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ15:Manpower of nurses of Department of Health
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Joseph Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (May 10):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the number of nurses, mode of appointment and number of nurse vacancies in
the Department of Health (DH), as well as the number of new recruits in each of
the past five years;
(b) the existing manpower distribution of nurses of DH in its various service
areas;
(c) the details of nurses currently appointed by DH on contract terms and the
relevant contract periods, and whether DH will consider recruiting nurses on
permanent terms of appointment; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons
for that; and
(d) the estimated nursing manpower required by DH in the coming three years?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The number of registered nurses (nurses), mode of their appointment and
number of vacancies in the Department of Health in each of the past five years
are set out in Table 1.
No nurses have been recruited on civil service terms by DH in the past five
years. The numbers of nurses recruited on NCSC terms by DH in the past five
years are set out in Table 2.
(b) As at April 1, 2006, the manpower distribution of nurses of DH in various
service areas is shown in Table 3.
(c) As at April 1, 2006, DH employs 73 contract nurses, whose contract periods
do not exceed 24 months. Their monthly salaries are between $17,145 and $22,990.
This is in line with the market salary levels.
In 2003, the Administration introduced the Second Voluntary Retirement (VR)
Scheme and imposed a five-year open recruitment freeze on the grades included in
the Scheme. The nursing grade is one of the VR grades. In April this year, the
Civil Service Bureau (CSB) submitted a paper to the Legislative Council Panel on
Public Service to inform Members that approval had been granted by the Executive
Council to moderate the five-year open recruitment freeze arrangement for VR
grades so as to allow, under very exceptional circumstances, a very limited
number of VR grades to conduct open recruitment before the expiry of the freeze.
CSB is working out the arrangements. Once we have received the relevant details,
we will consider if there are justifications for applying for resumption of open
recruitment for the nursing grade.
(d) DH expects to recruit 32 nurses in the next three years to fill existing
vacancies in the permanent civil service nursing posts and expected vacancies
due to natural wastage in the next three years, as well as to meet the need of
short term projects.
Ends/Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:29
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Tables to LCQ15