【明報專訊】AMID the onset of a seasonal flu surge that has exhausted public hospital nurses, Chief Executive (CE) Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has responded quickly to the Association of Hong Kong Nursing Staff's cry for the government's help. She did so a few days after it had made the call. She has announced an urgent funding of $500 million to the Hospital Authority (HA) in the hope that the strain that has recently been put on public hospital services can be eased. The government's posture in dealing with the issue urgently as a matter of urgency and its swift handling of the case may go some way towards boosting public hospital nurses' morale. But it remains questionable whether it is enough to alleviate the manpower pressure. The government must make a good job of long-term planning before it can untie the public healthcare system tight knot step by step.