40. One telling measure of social conditions is the average life expectancy of the population. In Hong Kong this is 73 years for men and 79 for women, higher than the levels in many advanced countries, including the US and UK. The incidence of the major epidemic diseases is low and high nutritional and hygenic standards have virtually eliminated deficiency diseases. Infant mortality, at 7.5
per thousand live births, is lower than in the US or UK. The
leading causes of death today are cancer, heart disease and strokes, an idication that Hong Kong has taken on the characterisitics of
more affluent societies.
The
41. Hong Kong has a heavily subsidised public Health Service.
hospital system is now being re-organised. All publicly funded
hospitals will be brought under the control of a statutory Hospital
Authority. There are now just under 27,000 beds in all hospitals,
4.5 per thousand population. A major hospital building programme is
underway to reduce overcrowding and improve facilities in the
growing population centres. A new 1,600 bed hospital will open this
year in the new town of Tuen Mun. Three other large hospitals are
also under construction, and extensions are being built to three of the largest existing hospitals. This programme will increase the provision of hospital beds to 6 per thousand population.
42. Another area where there is very large public expenditure is education. Free schooling for all.children is now provided up to the age of 16 and many more are now staying on at school beyond this age. Very high priority is being given to the expansion of higher education. At present there are 36,000 full-time equivalent places in the tertiary institutions, providing degree courses for 6.5% of young people in the relevant age group and non-degree courses for a further 4%. The aim is steadily to expand these numbers to over 62,000 full-time equivalent places by the turn of the century, by which time degree courses will be available for 14% of young people in the relevant age group and non-degree courses for another 6%. A third university, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, is being developed and will take its first students in
1991.