Hong Kong’s short-staffed hospitals are becoming a crisis, directly leading to medical blunders that pop up every so often in headlines. Public hospitals are now expected to need an additional 2,100 beds in the next seven years to meet demand from an aging population — but while the Hospital Authority believes it can provide the beds, it is not so sure about providing the necessary staff to treat these patients.
The public health system is currently short of 500 nurses and 310 doctors, up from some 250 doctors two years ago. Turnover rates also soared to a high of 15.6 percent last year. A plan to review the conditions and pay of medical staff is underway.
Source: SCMP
