Hong Kong to keep medical staff on the job after retirement age
16-Oct-15, South China Morning Post
The Hospital Authority has narrowly averted a manpower crisis with specialist doctors by raising their retirement age from 60 to 65. Under a special scheme that costs an extra HK$570 million, about 60 out of 100 doctors who are about to retire this year will continue their service.
The doctors are among 2,500 Hospital Authority staff due to retire in the next two years. These also include 344 nurses and large numbers of other medical staff and support workers.
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Image: SCMP
The new measure is a significant step in the right direction but will not work on its own. A permanent solution to manpower shortage will require a multi-pronged approach.
Having to serve 90 per cent of the city's patients with only 40 per cent of its doctors, our public hospitals are chronically understaffed. Besides doctors, experienced nurses and technicians are also in short supply. The annual turnover rate of nurses is 5 per cent, which is even higher than the 4.2 per cent for doctors.