Rumors on Campus
Therapist jobs may be cut
By Mandy Fu
Mandy Fu Slogans on student lockers.
Recently, students at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have found notices about physiotherapy on the democracy wall and student lockers.
The notices were posted by members of Hong Kong Physiotherapy Concern, a student organization that aims at improving the employment situation for physiotherapy students.
Rumours spread that the Hospital Authority will stop recruiting graduates for positions as Physiotherapist II until 2004.
Instead, the government will employ graduates in a new post - Physiotherapist III, with monthly income reduced from $17,000 to $8,000.
Some graduates may be employed only as general service assistants.
To Chi Chiu, president of Hong Kong Physiotherapy Concern, said that the rumour began circulating at the end of 2001 from sources such as the Hospital Authority staff, lecturers and physiotherapy students.
They have asked a representative of the Hospital Authority to clarify the rumour.
Ms. Ivis Chung, executive manager of the Hospital Authority, denied the rumour in a meeting with the concern group. She admitted, however, that they needed to regularly review the employment structure of physiotherapists. It would be done in the short run.
Ms. Chung said that the Hospital Authority has never thought of adding the post of Physiotherapist III. Also, the Authority did not suggest that physiotherapy graduates apply for the post of general service assistant. General service assistants require only post-secondary qualification.
Mr. To, however, worried there would be a depreciation of the profession if physiotherapy graduates became general service assistants.
"As the unemployment rate in Hong Kong is high, some graduates may apply for the post of general service assistant. This will ruin the image of physiotherapists as professionals."
There were also rumours that physiotherapy graduates would be required to work as 1-year trainees before they could become physiotherapists.
This would violate the regulations, according to Mr. To.
Said he: "Under the physiotherapists registration regulation, physiotherapy graduates should be regarded as registered physiotherapists. It is a violation if graduates have to work as trainees before they become physiotherapists."
Dr. Roger Scudds, physiotherapy programme leader at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said that physiotherapy graduates are qualified for the profession.
"Physiotherapy students have performed 1,000 hours of clinical placement after the 3-year education program. Their clinical experience should be sufficient."
Many Year 3 students, on the other hand, indicated that they were unwilling to be trainees even if they cannot find employment, according to Mr. To.
Denying the rumours, a spokesperson for the Hospital Authority said that the government would continue to recruit health care professionals based on service needs.
According to the figures provided by the Hospital Authority, the number of physiotherapists recruited over the past three years has increased from 657 to 704. Dr. Scudds reported that the Hospital Authority employed only 38 out of 142 graduates last year.
The figure is far below those before 1997, when all physiotherapy graduates were employed by the Hospital Authority.
Dr. Scudds said that he would support the action of Hong Kong Physiotherapy Concern any way he can in order to pressure the Hospital Authority and try to influence its policies.
Hong Kong Physiotherapy Concern planned to invite the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association to be its repreentative when they express their concerns to relevant government departments.
