Road to 5**：Exodus of healthcare workers
【明報專訊】◆News summary
In September 2021, Chairman of the Hospital Authority Henry Fan said that healthcare workers were leaving the HA at a ''worsening'' rate. The attrition rate of nurses even reached 6.7%. The HA adopted two measures to retain staff, including the extension of the retirement age of clinical frontline medical staff from 60 to 65. It is estimated that this will cost an extra HK$5.9 billion over the next 10 years. Over 40% of staff, or over 5,600 people, who will originally reach retirement age over the next five years are expected to stay on.
The post of assistant consultant nurse will be created to provide an additional promotion ladder. Henry Fan said that some young healthcare workers had chosen to leave Hong Kong or begin private practice and it would be impossible to retain them. He hoped the new measures would retain other colleagues and fill the vacancies.
In the first half of 2019, a survey was conducted of 514 doctors who were receiving specialist training or who graduated as a specialist less than 10 years ago. The results showed that 70.6% of them had work-related fatigue. 21% of them had symptoms of depression. A few had suicidal thoughts.
● Mock examination question
What challenges is Hong Kong’s public healthcare system facing? Please explain your answers.
◆Challenge 1: Exodus of healthcare workers
Hong Kong's public healthcare system is facing a brain drain. According to the information supplied, Hospital Authority Chairman Henry Fan said that the situation is worsening. Within the 12 months beginning July 2020, the attrition rates for doctors and nurses were 4.9% and 6.7% respectively. Hong Kong has recently been experiencing a wave of emigration. Many professionals such as doctors and nurses have moved overseas to practice or work. Henry Fan said that even if the HA introduced measures to retain talent, it would be difficult to retain young medical staff who intended to leave Hong Kong.
◆Challenge 2: Flow of healthcare workers from public hospitals to private hospitals
Many doctors and nurses in public hospitals have transferred to private hospitals to seek a better working environment. This will exacerbate the problem of the exodus of public healthcare workers, which may increase the burden on the public healthcare system in the long run. For example, it will lead to longer waiting times for specialist services and affect the overall quality of public healthcare.
◆Challenge 3: Population ageing
From a macro perspective, Hong Kong's medical system is faced with the challenges of an aging population and rising pressure on the public medical system. The increase in the number of elderly people will increase the demand for all types of medical services, such as grassroots care, chronic disease management and community care services. Unequal distribution of resources will be a challenge facing the public healthcare system in Hong Kong.
Translated by Odyssey Lang
(本刊發表的文章若提出批評，旨在指出相關制度、政策或措施存在錯誤或缺點，目的是促使矯正或消除這些錯誤或缺點，循合法途徑予以改善，絕無意圖煽動他人對政府或其他社群產生憎恨、不滿或敵意。)
[通通識 第752期]
