Hong Kong Hospital Authority fights flu season outcry with pay hikes and recruiting push

Salary increases of as much as 14 per cent will be given to more than 60 per cent of all support staff, about 16,000 workers

Move comes amid frustration in public health care sector over staff shortages, overcrowding and extreme work hours

Reading Time:2 minutes

Support staff in Kwong Wah Hospital, Mong Kok, on Tuesday. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 11:39pm, 26 Feb 2019Updated: 4:02am, 27 Feb 2019

The Hong Kong Hospital Authority will hand out healthy pay rises to more than 60 per cent of its support staff in a bid to offset the shortages and extreme work hours brought on by peak flu season.

A health care source said on Tuesday that the authority, which manages the city’s public hospitals, would spend at least HK$200 million (US$25.4 million) on salary increases of up to 14 per cent for about 16,000 workers, adding they would see their newly boosted paycheck as soon as April 1.

“We want to be able to meet the manpower demand and attract more people,” the source said.

The raises came as the flu season continued to stretch Hong Kong’s public health care sector beyond capacity, prompting outcry from the doctors, nurses and lawmakers.

Last month, public hospital support staff protested against their insufficient workforce and heavy workload as the flu season intensified. A medical workers’ union said at the time that two care assistants and one nurse must sometimes serve as many as 50 to 55 patients per night.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x