Estimate
of Expenditure, I
have made the following major
observations.
·3
5
6
7
8
Ze. Firstly, whereas in 1979, the percentage of Medical and Health
per cent, fees and charges、 to that of the total expenditure was 6.
6.34
per cant
it has dropped to 3.7 in 1988-1989. Furthermore, using the
year 1983-84 as a common baseline, cumulative projected growth ine expenditure on Medical and Health services will exceed. the cumulative projected growth of GDP as assessed by the per cut 10 medium range forecast by 16 in 1991. This estimate does not even take into consideration new or improved services which ae inevitable.
9
11
12
13
14 Secondly, whereas across the world, in all developed countries, the rate of hospitalisation is dropping in spite of
bir canc their ageing populations, it has increased by 2.6 in Hong
Kong, even after deducting the population growth rate.
15
16
17
18
19
Last but not least, on calculating the expenditure
Minor Plant, ehicles and Equipment
block vote
under
for
le 20
e 21 Medical Services, it works out that $2,784 will be spent per D 22 fovernment hospital bed in contrast to only $838 per
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
cap 31
32
33
34
35
36
ec.
per cint
subvented hospital bed. Thus, Government spends 332 as much
on replacing and purchasing new items of equipment for their
hospitals as compared to subvented ones. This pattern of funding has gone on for more than ten years, and accumulative
per cent. difference must be in terms of 1,000 or more by now, already.
10
Sir, allow me first to draw some conclusions from these observations before making proposals for change.
1. I reiterate what I said in my speech on the budget
five years ago and similarly stressed by
Senior Member yesterday, that there is: Čevidence of public expenditure running out of
control,
Zertainly, in the Medical and Health sector.
Our