Call for more oversight on non-local nurses

A clients rights supporter on Saturday stated more requires to be done to make sure the quality of outdoors nurses, and to make certain they do not leave the general public health care sector after serving for simply a year.

Alex Lam from Hong Kong Patients’ Voices was talking about a suggested path to permit non-locally-trained nurses from abroad and mainland organizations to practice in Hong Kong without taking a licensing examination.

The path was described in a Health Bureau paper to Legco this month as a possible service to the city’s nursing lack. Presently, non-locally-trained nurses should pass a licensing examination run by the Nursing Council of Hong Kong to work here.

Lam stated the brand-new path would put an extra pressure on the council to make certain the nurses depend on requirement.

“We need to make certain that they have adequate scholastic or on-the-job training prior to concerning Hong Kong, so the Nursing Council may have a concern to ensure that those hired from overseas would have the necessary requirement similar to the requirement we have in Hong Kong,” he informed press reporters after participating in a radio program.

He likewise recommended extending the minimum time invested in the general public sector to 3 years from the proposed one.

“Work experience under guidance in the general public sector is extremely essential. While we pay them to operate in the health centers, we need to comprehend whether they are suitable for the task, whether they are safe for the clients. I would recommend a minimum of 3 years,” Lam stated.

Speaking on the exact same program, legislator Rebecca Chan gotten in touch with the federal government to do more to keep regional nurses, such as employing more nursing assistants to relieve their work.

The federal government has stated the length of time required to train regional nurses indicates the present scarcity can not merely be attended to by increasing regional workforce.