HEALTH
150
Cases of acute illness and accident casualties are taken to the accident and emergency departments, which are usually attached to major hospitals. Such emergency treatment is provided free of charge. In 1989, there were 1 165 000 attendances in the public sector, averaging 3 193 attendances per day.
During the year, the demand for hospital services remained high, as reflected by the consistently large number of attendances at out-patient and specialist clinics, accident and emergency departments, and the number of hospital admissions.
Work on the Hospital Services Department's development programme has been progressing satisfactorily. Construction work on a major government acute hospital, the 1 600-bed Tuen Mun Hospital, was completed in 1989. The hospital will be opened in five phases and is expected to be fully operational in 1992, providing a comprehensive range of medical services for the west New Territories region. On Hong Kong Island, construction work is continuing on the 1 600-bed Pamela Youde Hospital in Chai Wan, which is scheduled to be completed in 1992.
The development programme includes plans for the construction of a 1 000-bed hospital in East Kowloon and a 1 300-bed hospital in North District. There is also a preliminary plan to provide a 600-bed acute hospital in Junk Bay New Town (Tseung Kwan O).
Work on Stage II of the extension to Queen Mary Hospital was completed in 1989. There will be a total net addition of 513 beds, with new psychiatric and paediatric facilities, upon completion of the whole extension project by 1994.
Extensive redevelopment of the Ruttonjee Sanatorium in Wan Chai from an institution for chest and tuberculosis patients into a general acute hospital with 614 beds is expected to be completed in early 1990.
Other important projects which are well underway include the construction of the Sha Tin Infirmary and the Sha Tin Cheshire Home, the expansion of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, the Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan and the Tung Wah Eastern Hospital in Causeway Bay.
Projects in the pipeline include further extensions to the United Christian Hospital and Pok Oi Hospital, and the reprovisioning of the Haven of Hope Hospital. The Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital will be expanded and reprovisioned in Tai Po.
There is an increasing emphasis on the provision of infirmary beds. An additional 2 845 beds are to be provided in projects such as the Sha Tin Infirmary, Tsuen Wan and Tai Po Convalescent and Infirmary Hospitals and the Wong Chuk Hang Complex for the Elderly.
Clinics
General out-patient services form a vital part of the health care system. The government now operates 54 public general out-patient clinics. Evening, Sunday and public holiday sessions continue at clinics in the more densely-populated areas as part of the overall measures to meet the demand for out-patient services. The total attendance figure at government out-patient clinics was 15 million, four per cent less than in the previous year. The medical development programme includes 16 additional clinic and polyclinic projects throughout the territory.
Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics provide the necessary medical services to the outlying islands and the more remote areas of the New Territories. Other inaccessible areas are visited regularly by the 'flying doctor' service, with the assistance of the Auxiliary Air Force.
At the end of the year, 93 clinics operated by charity organisations were registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance. At the same time, 182 were registered as exempted