Elmat, 1 point to you as the money spigot opens for ...
hongkong.scmp.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Tung grants $200m for medical staff
BENJAMIN WONG
Hong Kong's frontline workers in the battle against Sars are about to be rewarded with the establishment of a $200 million fund to support medical staff.
The fund, announced yesterday by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, will be used for training of health-care workers and to provide financial assistance to those infected by Sars. Private contributions will also be welcomed.
"The purpose of the fund is really to help, to allow those people who have been so valiant in helping to fight this disease the opportunity to conduct further training or further studies," Mr Tung said after meeting health-care workers at the Hospital Authority headquarters yesterday. It will also likely be used to offer some form of assistance to those affected by the disease.
Mr Tung said the government would make a formal request for the funds from the Legislative Council soon, with the details to be announced later.
The announcement came after a further 10 medical workers were confirmed among 32 new cases of Sars reported yesterday. Five people, aged between 66 and 88, died yesterday, while 25 were discharged. A total of 109 patients are still in intensive care.
This is the second time the government has sought funds from the legislature to battle the virus, following the $200 million it asked for last month to cover medication and equipment.
Not everyone was impressed. Legislator Michael Mak Kwok-fung, who represents the health services sector, said more pressing concerns should be addressed.
"We have to take care of those in the front line of this war," he said. "They are facing hardship. They can't go home and it has affected their daily lives. We have to keep up their morale by giving them an allowance and protect them by buying them insurance."
But Iris Chan Sui-ching, chairwoman of the Alliance of Patients' Mutual Help Organisations and a member of the Hospital Authority, said the move would boost staff morale.
"It will be encouraging to medical workers," she said. "The Hospital Authority has a tight budget and there is not much money available for workers to improve themselves. The fund will definitely prove useful in the future."
Lawmaker Lo Wing-lok, representing the medical constituency, shared this view. "It's such a positive thing because it acknowledges the efforts and the needs of the medical workers. It'll be a good reward for them," Dr Lo said. |
