The Hospital Authority announced on Thursday (16th) the adoption of three measures to retain staff, namely the introduction of the first 1% low-interest home loan to employees, the increase of middle-level positions such as consultant doctors, and the establishment of the Hospital Authority College.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital Authority, Gao Basheng, expects to complete the goal of increasing promotion opportunities and opening a college in 2023. He will lead other frontline healthcare professionals through middle-level positions to reduce the pressure on frontline healthcare professionals.
The new measures may not be as effective as expected
Among the three measures, the most eye-catching new measure must be the first installment of 1% low-interest home purchase loans to employees who have been employed for three years.
Fan Hung Ling, Chairman of the Hospital Authority, stated that the goal of the plan is to buy time to wait for the introduction of overseas doctors. There is no limit, but employees must live in the property by themselves.
The Hospital Authority convened a meeting today. After the meeting, the chairman of the Hospital Authority Fan Hongling announced that it would provide loans to employees to buy homes.
(Photo by Zeng Kaixin)
The details of the loan plan are not yet clear, and it is difficult to judge its effectiveness and attractiveness, but it is likely to put invisible pressure on future applicants.
As Ling Xiaozhi, president of the Public Medical Doctors Association, pointed out in a radio program, the loan program can lend millions to doctors to buy homes, but not everyone can accept being tied up in the work of the HA; if before the end of the repayment period If you leave the Hospital Authority, you may have to repay millions of dollars in a lump sum, so the plan may not provide sufficient appeal.
Ling Xiaozhi, president of the Public Medical Doctors Association, pointed out that if the core problem is not resolved, short-term benefits will not help much.
(Data Picture/Photo by Zheng Cuibi)
Need to recognize the reasons for the resignation of medical staff
At present, the new measures of the Hospital Authority mainly provide two functions. One is to directly address the problem of lack of upper space and slow speed in the healthcare industry, and the other is to increase the incentives for employees to continue to work in the organization. However, the doctors’ union and the nurses’ union have Japan) separately stated in the radio program that the plan may not be able to retain manpower.
The Association of Nurses stated that one of the main reasons for the resignation of HA staff is the immigration due to changes in the social environment and political situation, rather than the difficulty of home ownership caused by high property prices.
In addition, the Public Medical Doctors Association put forward other factors that promote the loss of adult hands, including the working environment of public hospitals and the unsatisfactory workload.
From this point of view, the new measures do not actually address the problems faced by frontline medical staff, and at best they are just side effects.
The Hospital Authority has deliberately proposed measures to deal with the current embarrassment of insufficient manpower. This mentality is certainly worth encouraging, and the public believes that it will be successful.
However, when its measures fail to directly address existing problems, it means that it still needs to be strengthened and improved. In particular, it should be considered how to reduce the work pressure of frontline medical staff.
Inquiry on the cause of medical malpractice. Hospitals should try their best to implement the recommendations. The problem of medical manpower needs to be multi-pronged. The shortage of doctors is not just because of the outflow of overseas doctors. It is necessary to introduce overseas doctors and reform medical triage.