Census chief denies cover-up

Commissioner for Census and Statistics Fung Hing-wai has admitted there were two suspected cases of census officers being sexually assaulted while making door-to-door visits in the city's ongoing census.

Police confirmed a man in his 80s has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a census officer on July 16.

The confirmation came after a Census and Statistics Department's statement denying an online rumor of a census officer being raped.

On Sunday, the department also said a census officer had reported a possible sexual harassment.

Speaking a radio program on Monday, Fung denied the department staged a cover-up.

He said the department did not disclose the case details at once in order not to hinder the investigation.

He said census officers now make door-to-door visits in pairs and there will be delays despite the extra manpower required.

He also said only 0.3 percent of the 17,000 census officers quit their jobs, indicating the job is not risky.

Public hospitals to raise fees, too

Public hospitals may also have to raise the fees for maternity packages for non-residents eventually, though the raise will not be immediate.

Responding to a round of price hikes for maternity packages in private hospitals, Secretary for Food and Health York Chow said on Monday that increasing prices may be an inevitable trend.

Meanwhile, the most difficult times of nurse shortage have passed, Chow said.

Hospital Authority Chairman Anthony Wu said on Monday after a meeting with frontline nurses that the authority does not plan to raise prices for the time being.

He said the government is exploring the possibility of allowing nurses registered overseas to work in Hong Kong.

Side effects of old drug found

Side effects, such as stomachache and indigestion, have been found in the non-asteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics, known as NSAIA, a drug used by the Hospital Authority (HA) to treat rheumatoid arthritis, according to Hong Kong Ankylosing Spondylitis Association (HKASA).

Among the 180 patients interviewed by HKASA, 60 percent are currently using the drug.

Half are suffering side effects and need to take stomach medicine at the same time.

The HKASA suggested the HA include the new generation anti-inflammatory drugs in its standard drug formulary.

Robbery aimed at HK$1m cash

Two South Asian men taking some HK$1 million cash to a bank were attacked in an attempted robbery on Humphreys Road in Tsim Sha Tsui around noon Monday.

They were ambushed by seven or eight South Asian men, wielding iron pipes and using pepper spray, before they reached the bank.

The assailants escaped without succeeding in taking the cash.

China Daily

(HK Edition 07/26/2011 page1)