Briefs | Subsidy for recycling industry to be extended for another year

The government has announced a one-year extension of the financial support plan for purchasing equipment and vehicles in the recycling industry. According to the order of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário, the subsidy program will be extended to November 25, 2020, leaving unchanged the form of financial support, conditions of application and procedure, the scope of funding and the supervisory mechanisms. The local government launched the subsidy plan for the sector on November 26 of last year. The maximum funding limit for each applicant is 1.5 million patacas. The maximum amount of subsidy granted to each application corresponds to 50% of the total cost of equipment purchased and 50% of the total cost of vehicles purchased.   

Macau, Zhuhai sign weather forecast agreement

The local government has signed a weather forecast cooperation agreement with the Zhuhai government in the hopes of further improving meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities in both places. According to this agreement, Zhuhai and Macau will form a phased-arrival weather radar, which will coordinate with the existing Macau-Zhuhai S-band Doppler weather radar. The system has enhanced observation capabilities with a higher spatial and temporal resolution, covering all land areas in Macau, Zhuhai and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. It can also detect blind spots in low-altitude areas. Once the radar starts operating, it will provide radar data to both Macau and Zhuhai.

Longer waiting times recorded at public hospital

People seeking medical help from the out-patient clinics and accident and emergency (A&E) units of the Conde S. Januário Hospital (CHCSJ) have been waiting longer in order to get treated, according to CHCSJ Director Kuok Cheong U. During a TDM program, Kuok revealed that, in 2018, waiting times at the CHCSJ A&E department averaged 61 minutes, while now it sits at 73 minutes. The reason behind the increase is the 22% increase in the number of visitors.  Waiting times for the out-patient clinics of the public hospital also stretched by 5%. Since the establishment of the children’s comprehensive assessment center in 2016, the average waiting time at the two centers is currently three weeks, and two to four weeks respectively. These are much shorter times compared to the previous 18 to 24 months, according to the TDM report.