Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ20: Manpower requirements for allied health professionals
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
(October 26):
Question:
Quite a number of members of the health sector have relayed that with the
development in local health services, the demand for allied health staff by
public hospitals, private hospitals and non-governmental organisations has been
increasing, and the sector faces problems such as manpower shortage and
recruitment difficulties, etc. at present. In this connection, will the
Government inform this Council:
(a) whether the authorities have assessed the respective demand for and supply
of allied health staff in the next five years; if they have, of the details,
(with a breakdown as set out in the tables in annex); and whether the supply of
allied health staff in the next five years can sufficiently meet the demand; if
it cannot, how the authorities will solve the manpower shortage problem;
(b) whether the authorities have set aside sufficient resources for the training
and recruitment of allied health staff in the next five years; if they have, of
the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) whether the authorities have considered collaborating with relevant
organisations on improving the remuneration packages for allied health staff so
as to retain talents; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for
that?
Reply:
President,
(a) The Food and Health Bureau assesses the manpower requirements for healthcare
professionals including allied health professionals according to the triennial
planning cycle of the University Grants Committee (UGC), and advises the UGC on
the corresponding requirements for publicly-funded places to facilitate academic
planning by tertiary institutions. In making long-term manpower projections, we
will take into account the anticipated manpower requirements of major healthcare
providers having regard to, among other things, the wastage trends of different
healthcare professions, the ageing rate of the population and changes in
demographic profiles, and the community's need for services in particular areas,
etc. We will also take into consideration the implications on healthcare
manpower arising from changes in healthcare services delivery models and related
policies such as development of primary care and private hospitals and the
introduction of a Health Protection Scheme.
As at July 2011, there were a total of 5,773 allied health professionals in the
Hospital Authority (HA). Non-governmental and private healthcare institutions
would in general employ staff on their own account according to their service
and development needs. Overall speaking, as our population grows and ages and
with advancement in medical technologies, it is expected that the demand for
healthcare manpower will continue to increase. In view of this, for the
triennial cycle starting from 2012, the Government will allocate an additional
$200 million to increase the number of first-year first-degree places in
medicine by 100, nursing by 40 and allied health professions by 146. Meanwhile,
training places for nurses offered by self-financing post-secondary institutions
are also on the rise.
Based on the outcomes of the Second Stage Public Consultation on Healthcare
Reform, the Government will set up a high-level steering committee to conduct a
strategic review on healthcare manpower planning (including doctors, dentists,
nurses, Chinese medicine practitioners, pharmacists and allied health
professionals) and professional development. The steering committee will put
forward recommendations in the first half of 2013 on how to cope with the
anticipated demand for healthcare manpower, strengthen professional training,
and facilitate professional development and regulation having regard to the
findings of the review, with a view to ensuring the healthy and sustainable
development of our healthcare system.
(b) and (c) Having regard to the demand for and supply of healthcare manpower,
HA has made continuous efforts to attract and retain talents through various
means, such as stepping up recruitment, providing more training and development
opportunities as well as improving conditions of service for staff. HA has also
been working to relieve the workload of its allied health professionals by
re-engineering work processes, streamlining work flow and recruiting additional
supporting staff. With the implementation of a basket of initiatives, the number
of allied health professionals has recorded a net increase of 11% in March 2011
as compared to March 2008.
HA plans to recruit 590 allied health professionals in 2011-12 to meet the need
for service development. HA also seeks to fill the existing vacancies in certain
healthcare professional grades through various channels including local and
overseas recruitment as well as employing part-time allied health staff.
To provide more career advancement and development opportunities for its allied
health professionals, HA introduced in 2008 a new model of professional
development for the Diagnostic Radiographer, Physiotherapist and Occupational
Therapist grades. So far, 26 promotional posts have been created under the plan,
including 3 "Consultant Therapists/Diagnosticians" and 23 "Senior
Therapists/Diagnosticians". HA will consider applying a similar model to other
allied health professions having regard to the experience gained in the process.
On training, HA set up the Institute of Advanced Allied Health Studies in 2007
to develop structured and long-term training plans for allied health staff. It
also provides courses on specialist and multi-disciplinary training and personal
development, including a three-year in-service training course for new recruits.
HA plans to fund 37 allied health staff to attend short-term courses or
internship programmes overseas in 2011-12 in addition to sponsoring some 100
allied health staff to undertake master degree courses. In collaboration with
local and overseas universities, HA also organises various specialist training
and development programmes having regard to its service development needs.
Between 2006-07 and 2010-11, HA has invested a total of over $270 million on the
training and development of its healthcare professionals.
We will closely monitor the manpower situation of various healthcare professions
and respond accordingly in resource allocation, manpower training and planning
so as to facilitate the sustainable development of our healthcare system.
Ends/Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:31
NNNN
LCQ20 Annex