HEALTH
Medical Charges
Medical charges remained low, reflecting a substantial subsidy from public funds despite the adjustment in August 1989 to take account of increases in costs. Patients in the general wards of government hospitals are charged $29 a day and the fee covers everything from meals, medicine and laboratóry tests, to surgery or any other treatment required. The charge may also be reduced or waived in cases of hardship as certified by a medical social worker. A limited number of private beds are provided at major government hospitals with higher maintenance and treatment charges.
The charge for consultation at general out-patient clinics is $15, while that for specialist clinics is $22. Charges for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and child assessment are $22. Attendance at geriatric or psychiatric day centres and home visits by community nurses cost $24. These fees may also be waived if warranted.
The charge for injections and dressings in general out-patient clinics is $6, while charges for visits to family planning clinics and methadone clinics remain at $1.
Free medical services continue to be offered at maternal and child health centres, tuber- culosis and chest clinics, social hygiene clinics and accident and emergency departments.
Training of Medical and Health Personnel
The basic training of doctors is provided by the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Graduates of the two medical schools are awarded degrees recognised by the General Medical Council of Great Britain. The medical student intake at the University of Hong Kong remained at 150 in 1989. During the same year, the Chinese University of Hong Kong took in its ninth group of 131 students.
Under the licentiate scheme of the Hong Kong Medical Council, 31 externally-trained doctors passed the local licentiate examination in 1989. After satisfactory completion of an externship programme in public hospitals, they will become registered medical practitioners.
In 1989, the government decided to establish a statutory Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, which would be responsible for organising and supervising post-graduate and continuing medical education in Hong Kong. The purpose of the academy is to enhance clinical competence and thereby improve medical services. The academy will set standards, define the content and duration of training courses and accredit specialist qualifications. It would have as its main objective the advancement and promotion of the science and practice of medicine. A preparatory committee was set up at the end of 1989 to make preparations for the formation of the academy.
The Prince Philip Dental Hospital produced 54 dentists in 1989. The training of dental therapists is provided at the Tang Shiu Kin Dental Therapists Training School.
The basic training for general nurses is conducted at government, government-assisted and private hospitals. There are now nine training schools for student nurses and 11 for pupil nurses with an average annual intake capacity of about 1 170 and 540 respectively. An additional student nurse training school and one more pupil nurse training school are planned over the next decade. The annual intake capacity is to be increased from 1 170 to 1 420 for general student nurses and from 540 to 670 for general pupil nurses.
The training of psychiatric student nurses is conducted at Kwai Chung Hospital and Castle Peak Hospital, and training of psychiatric pupil nurses at Castle Peak Hospital. The average intake capacity for psychiatric student nurses is 170 and for pupil nurses 80. Three more training schools for psychiatric nurses have been planned for the next decade to meet the rising demand for nursing care in the Mental Health Service.
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