The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, said during the Legislative Assembly (AL) plenary meeting on Friday that the relationships between the region’s patients and medical service providers have improved in recent years.
Several lawmakers questioned the relations between the two parties, to which Tam admitted that the professional attitudes of medical service providers such as doctors and nurses still have “many problems.”
“[They are] unfriendly, not patient when explaining, which tends to lead the public to misunderstand them. […] Hence, I have already requested these medical professionals to engage in good communications with their patients and respective families, and to give detailed explanations to the patients because they [the patients and patients’ families] have the right to know,” said Tam.
“If our residents have a good educational background, I believe that all will be relatively harmonious in terms of communication. If everybody [patients and their families] is courteous and friendly, [I] believe our medical professionals will be willing to tell the conditions to them,” he added.
When questioned by lawmaker Ho Ion Sang about medical malpractice laws, Tam noted that the committee for the assessment of medical malpractice complaints had recorded 38 cases related to medical accidents between February 26 and June 20.
Lawmaker Au Kam San remarked that there are still more than 20,000 elderly people in Macau who cannot receive a full-scale retirement pension. Au has urged the government to address this situation by allowing these people to contribute to their own welfare funds.
Tam rejected the suggestion and stated that if the authorities permit any one-off provident contributions, it will cause chaos for the city’s policies.
Melinda Chan wanted Tam to disclose more data regarding the city’s new subsidy system for the social welfare sector.
Tam pointed out that until June 2017, 245 associations and social welfare organizations had received a total of MOP553 million in government subsidies, benefiting a total of 3,545 social workers. He added that 179 organizations and more than 3,300 people have been involved in the development of the region’s latest subsidy systems for social welfare organizations, a situation he described as “close to ideal.”
Leong Veng Chai asked how the government handles cases where Macau residents called for emergency medical treatment in mainland China, but had to be sent back to Macau for the actual treatment.
Public Security Police Force director Leong Man Cheong noted that it is common for mainland China and Macau to transfer patients at the border gates, adding that Macau and Zhuhai have long- term communication mechanisms in place for such exchanges.
Several lawmakers, including Lam Hong San, raised questions about the salaries of those employed by social welfare-related organizations.
The Social Affairs Bureau (IAS) president Vong Yim Mui responded that Macau’s latest subsidy system for such employees is a vast improvement from previous versions.
The new system ensures that cleaning staff or average assistants can earn more than MOP10,000. For the directors of such organizations, salaries can surpass MOP50,000. Vong believes that the salaries are “competitive in some way” when compared to other sectors.
Tam also fielded enquiries from Mak Soi Kun and Wong Kit Cheng about cancer in Macau, saying that those diagnosed with lung cancer have recorded a “high” survival rate of 28 percent over the past five years, better than in the US and Singapore.
“The effects of lung cancer treatment in Macau are better than in other developed countries and regions, and is highly praised by [the] mainland and Hong Kong experts. This proves that Macau’s lung cancer-related medical technology has already reached international levels,” said Tam.
Nurseries to offer 10,000 places by year-end
Macau will have more than 10,000 child nursing positions by the end of 2017, according to the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam.
This information came to light in Tam’s reply to an inquiry from lawmaker Angela Leong during last Friday’s meeting.
Leong had questioned Tam on how the government can respond to Macau’s high demand for nursing positions.
Tam first reiterated his frequent emphasis on ensuring that Macau has enough nursing positions, but went on to say that children need familial care, citing research studies which concluded that placing children in nurseries too early can harm their growth.
Tam reaffirmed that the government does not encourage parents to leave children in nurseries at too early an age.
Si Ka Lon suggested that the government include children nursing periods into the city’s free education system.
Tam disagreed with Si and said that “other places will not be like this,” adding that Macau’s child nursing rate has already reached 48 percent, which is higher than in Hong Kong and Japan.
Tam continued that the goal of nursing children is to help parents care for their offspring, and it is not intended as a means for education.
In his opinion, the demand for nursing positions is strong because parents want their children to get into the best schools, which is “unnecessary.”
“No matter which schools they [the students] graduate from, they are still all good,” said Tam.
The Social Affairs Bureau (IAS) president Vong Yim Mui noted that a survey by the University of Macau indicated that only 12.4 percent of local parents have said that they do not have a person available to take care of their children.
Vong said that in future, the authorities will prioritize nursing for vulnerable families, including low-income families or those where one parent is ill.
