G.F. 316
VASSACRETED ģ
高度機密
Medical and Health
71.
Within the total Consolidated Account expenditure in 1985-86, it is estimated that $4 billion will be spent on government and subvented medical services. This represents a
substantial increase of 20% on the revised estimate of
expenditure for 1984-85. Again there is a footnote in the printed speech giving details. of various hospital programmes (35).
Social Welfare
72.
Consolidated Account expenditure in 1985-86 on social welfare services (36), including subventions to voluntary agencies, will be about $2.53 billion, representing an increase of over 11% on the revised estimate of expenditure for 1984-85 (37).
(35) The $645 million Prince of Wales Hospital commenced operations in May last year and is expected to be fully operational by April next year. It will have 1,446 beds and serve as the regional hospital for the Fastern New Territories as well as the teaching hospital for the medical faculty of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Work will continue on the Tuen Mun Hospital and the Queen Mary Hospital extension, and in November last year site formation works started for a major new hospital in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island. In the subvented sector, development programmes are under way in subvented hospitals to expand and upgrade their facilities. Approval has been obtained for a major extension of 760 beds to the United Christian Hospital.
(36) Social welfare services include social security, services for offenders, family welfare, services for the elderly, community building, personal social work among young people and rehabilitation.
(37) The basic rates for public assistance and the special needs allowances were increased by 13.3% in February 1984. The public assistance rate for a single person is now $510 a month. The disability allowance is paid at the
the same rate and the old age allowance at half this rate. Provision of $576.6 million is included in the draft Estimates for public assistance compared with the revised estimate of $575.5 million for 1984-85 representing the fruits of an improving economy. At the end of 1984, there were 59,100 households on public assistance. As regards the special needs allowances, the provision in the draft Estimates is $906.6 million, compared with the revised estimate of $838.7 million for 1983-84. This allows for an estimated average monthly caseload of about 217,800 for old age allowance and 46,600 for disability allowance compared with 211,600 and 43,900 respectively at the end of 1984.
2高度機密