Hospital Staff To Get Boost In Overtime Allowances

The Hospital Authority is offering all staff slightly bigger overtime bonuses as hospitals continue to be overwhelmed during the peak winter flu season.

An extra ten percent will be added to allowances under the existing 'special honorarium scheme' for 12 weeks starting from January 28.

The authority said it hopes the move will encourage staff to work harder to meet the challenge of winter flu surge – with the accident and emergency department and wards of public hospital experiencing a busy period since January.

It expects the service demand to climb further, and public hospitals will be even more congested after the Chinese New Year holiday.

Last week health services sector lawmaker Joseph Lee had alleged that nurses at public hospitals in Hong Kong are being made to work like slaves as the occupancy rates at these facilities soared above 100 percent.

Lee said on Friday that the wage hike announced by the authority is not enough to address the situation.

He said the high admission rate means one nurse has to take care of ten patients now.

"I don't think such symbolic measures will relieve the current situation," he said.

The lawmaker also said that a protest planned for Sunday against the situation will go ahead despite the government move.