HONG KONG: With less than a month to go before the commencement of the Trial Scheme on School Drug Testing in Tai Po, important issues concerning implementation of the program remain unresolved.

At a council meeting yesterday, legislator Gary Chan Hak-kan voiced concerns that there are insufficient numbers of counselors at counseling centers for psychotropic substance abusers (CCPSAs)to handle the increased case load that is likely to arise.

Especially, he singled out the Cheer Lutheran Centre in Tai Po during the council meeting.

Assistant Director (Youth and Corrections) of the Social Welfare Department Raymond Fung Man-lok noted that the government is very much concerned about the recruitment situation at the seven CCPSAs and especially the hiring of social workers and registered nurses.

"Out of the seven CCPSAs, two of them have already hired registered nurses and five others have not, including Cheer Lutheran Centre in Tai Po. We are considering replacing them with enrolled nurses," Fung said.

According to Fung, registered psychiatric nurses are necessary to provide professional guidance and physical assistance to teenagers who come to ask for help at CCPSAs.

Another problem raised by legislators relates to the privacy of students in relation to the timing of the tests. Would students be required to report after classes, or would they be called out of classes to be tested?

"If their test results are disclosed in a positive case, it may lead to sneering by peers and school bullying problems," said legislator Cyd Ho Sau-lan.

The government plans to carry out testing during regular class times, so as to foreclose the possibility that students might refuse to take the test on grounds of having made previous arrangements for after-class activities.

(HK Edition 11/26/2009 page1)