The Hospital Authority has established a taskforce of frontline nurses to review and enhance nurses' career development and service conditions, the authority's Chief Manager (Nursing) Dr Susie Lum says, adding 600 additional full-time nurses will be recruited in 2007-08.

She said the recruitment process has begun.So far a total of 46 full-time and 33 part-time nurses have been recruited.

"We also plan to train additional nurses through our registered nurse and enrolled nurses training programmes to boost the supply of nurses for the public, private and social-welfare sector. Last year, a total of 550 nurses were recruited."

In a statement today, Dr Lum said the authority has been fully aware of and also attaching great importance to the manpower problem and work pressure facing the frontline nurses.

She highly appreciates the dedication and professionalism of all the nurses who have been performing their patient care duties diligently under an extremely challenging environment.

Public hospitals now have over 19,000 nurses.The annual turnover rate in 2006-07 was about 3.2%.

To help relieve frontline nurses' work pressures and tight manpower situation, the authority has been employing supporting staff to assist in the areas of clerical duties.