******************************************
In response to the judgment of the High Court today (March 1) on the claims by a number of public doctors, the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Anthony Wu, made the following statement:
We welcome the court's judgment on the claims about overtime, as it helps clarify and settle the important debates related to public doctors' overtime. We will study the judgment concerning statutory holidays and rest days in detail before considering the way forward.
Taking into consideration the judgment, we will continue to have discussions with the doctors with a view to coming up with a mutually acceptable and beneficial arrangement for all. We are confident that doctors working with the HA share a common sense of mission to serve the public and to give their best.
As a responsible and caring employer, the HA is fully aware of, and understands, the concerns of frontline doctors about their working conditions. A series of measures has been put in place to improve the working hours of public doctors over recent years. Improving staff morale is at the top of the HA's list of priorities in the coming year. The HA will continue to work with its staff in improving human resources policies and remuneration packages.
Starting from April 1, the HA will embark on a series of initiatives that will help junior doctors that perform well to acquire their specialist qualifications in a more confident and rewarding way. We will also work towards limiting working hours for most doctors to no more than 65 hours per week within three years.
Ends/Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:03
NNNN
