The Hospital Authority (HA) held a general meeting on Thursday afternoon where Chairman Henry Fan Hung-ling announced a decrease in the turnover rates of nurses and doctors.
He stated today that as of the end of January, the turnover rate for full-time doctors fell to 5 percent from 5.4 percent compared to the previous year. During this period, the HA hired 731 full-time doctors, while 339 resigned, bringing the total number of full-time doctors to 7,204.
Fan also highlighted the integration of non-locally trained doctors, with 293 currently working or participating in exchange programs with the HA. Of these, 227 have been recruited globally for long-term positions, and 66 are exchange doctors, including those from the mainland Greater Bay Area.
In terms of nursing staff, the turnover rate up until late January was 7.2 percent. The HA recorded a net growth of 580 nurses, resulting in a total of 29,513 full-time nurses. The recruitment of non-locally trained nurses has been robust, with 95 candidates hired and awaiting registration.
Additionally, 130 nurses from the Greater Bay Area are expected to come to Hong Kong through limited registration in the second quarter of the year.
Fan described this progress as ideal and noted a positive response to extending employment opportunities for retired nurses, with 3,485 expressing willingness to continue their service.
Fan disclosed that the HA utilizes nearly HK$100 billion of public funds annually. He emphasized the importance of inspecting the procurement process to identify and eliminate wasteful expenditures. The authority plans to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure funds are used judiciously and savings exceed the 2 percent annual expenditure reduction required by the budget.
Fan also addressed measures to reduce expenses, including revising medication distribution policies. Stating that since March 24, the HA limited the supply of drugs dispensed to patients to a maximum of 24 weeks, or about six months, at the prescribed dose. This change, coupled with the promotion of community pharmacies, is expected to further reduce prescription quantities.
Additionally, the HA is exploring ways to simplify the procurement process as another strategy to save on expenses.
