A PACKAGE of measures to meet the shortage of nurses and improve working conditions was unveiled by the Hospital Authority last night. The plans include recruiting 2,300 to 2,400 nurses for public hospitals this financial year. The authority is also aiming to take on an additional 100 nurses to increase night shift staff. The biggest union, the Association of Hong Kong Nursing Staff, has said if it is not satisfied with the package it will go ahead with a poster campaign on May 12. The union has already conducted a 10-day ''broken heart'' badge campaign to call for better working conditions and an end to nursing shortages. Although union leaders have not yet had the chance to study the package in detail, a union source said last night the recruitment figures sounded unrealistic. He said: ''Where are all these nurses going to come from? It may be possible to recruit that many student nurses but certainly not trained nurses.'' A recent survey revealed about four per cent of nurses were on night shift more than the authority's target of once a week. Authority chief executive Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong said the plans were the culmination of efforts over the past two years to improve the management of manpower resources.
