EditorialRaising of retirement age at Hong Kong hospitals just what the doctor ordered
- An unsustainable shortage of staff at public facilities has forced the hand of those in charge to allow workers to carry on until 65, a move that other employers would be wise to consider
Sometimes it takes necessity to force a change that has long been justifiable on its merits. Take the retirement age of 60. Hong Kong is out of step with other developed countries.
Now the Hospital Authority, one of the city’s biggest employers, has broken ranks and taken a major step towards catching up. It has found its hand forced by the certainty of an unsustainable shortage of medical staff to maintain essential public hospital services if it does not act.
The authority is expecting more than 1,600 doctors and health care staff to take up its offer to work five more years until 65. The scheme, effective immediately, includes a new nursing career path as associate consultant.
This dramatic move reflects pressure on the authority to retain local staff while opening the door to non-locally trained medical professionals without permanent residence in the city, over the objections of many local doctors who say they are concerned about standards.
To put the issue into perspective, about 1,000 doctors, 5,000 nurses and 10,000 support staff will reach retirement age in the next 10 years, with the authority predicting a shortfall of more than 1,600 doctors by the end of the decade. The decision is a win for patients, a win for doctors and health care staff and, indeed, a win for everyone else in the city, most of whom use public hospitals.
