Hong Kong volunteer emergency service loses 20 per cent of staff over 5 years but faced increased Covid-19 demand, Audit Commission finds

Staff numbers in Auxiliary Medical Service fell as demand driven by Covid-19 jumped by 54 per cent, auditor says

Audit Commission appeals to service to double down on recruitment and retention after 843 volunteers quit between 2017 and 2022

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Auxiliary Medical Service volunteers look after a runner who collapsed during a marathon. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 6:26pm, 26 Apr 2023Updated: 10:48pm, 26 Apr 2023

Hong Kong’s volunteer emergency medical service lost almost 20 per cent of its staff over the past five years, but had to cope with a massive 54 per cent jump in workload because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city’s audit watchdog has found.

The Audit Commission appealed to Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS) management to beat the drum for more recruits and work to retain existing volunteers after it found that numbers had fallen by 843 from 4,357 in 2017 to 3,514 last year – a 19 per cent drop.

The service told the Director of Audit that the Covid-19 pandemic had hit staffing numbers and promised a recruitment drive.

The Audit Commission has asked the volunteer Auxiliary Medical Service to boost usage rates of its ambulance fleet. Photo: Handout

“The AMS has noticed the decreasing trend in the strength of the volunteer force,” AMS chief staff officer Wong Ying-keung said.

“Starting from early 2022, a series of publicity activities aiming at improving public recognition of AMS has been arranged. AMS will further step up efforts in recruiting new members and retaining existing members.”

The most significant loss of volunteers was in 2020, when the service shrunk by 6.1 per cent.

Wong said the service had also been in talks with universities in a bid to forge closer links and recruit more students to the service.