Extension is now going forward on a large scale, delays being due partly to the necessity of thorough surveys, partly to the shortage of skilled staff.

Mr James Tien, a member of the legislative council and a textile manufacturer, said that as an employer he was already experiencing acute shortages of skilled staff.

As it has become clear that efforts to expand the treatment of AIDS - even in economically better-off African countries like Botswana and South Africa - are seriously hampered by the shortage of skilled staff members, the need to tackle the problem has gathered force, Ms. Burkhalter said.