HEALTH
Health Education
The Central Health Education Unit advises on and promotes health education within the Government and the community. It produces a wide range of educational materials such as pamphlets, videos and exhibition boards. In 2001, the Health Ambassador Programme continued to win acclaim. Volunteers from four major groups students, teachers, women and senior citizens - were recruited and trained to conduct health education activities and promote health awareness among their
peers.
To enhance public awareness of and promote healthy living, the Department of Health has continued to organise a number of media and educational activities. These include programmes organised in collaboration with other government departments or non-governmental organisations such as the Healthy Exercise for All Campaign and the Active Living Carnival.
Clinics
At present, the Department of Health operates 61 general out-patient clinics to provide accessible and affordable primary medical and health care to the public. Mobile dispensaries, floating clinics and a flying doctor service cater to residents of remote areas and outlying islands. The department also operates 21 methadone clinics, 19 tuberculosis and chest clinics, 10 social hygiene clinics, five dermatology clinics, four clinical genetic clinics, six child assessment centres and other clinic services. About 14 million visits to clinics were recorded in 2001.
Plans are in hand to transfer the operation of general out-patient clinics from the Department of Health to the Hospital Authority to promote family-medicine based practice, enhance the integration of primary and specialist care and provide a training ground for family-medicine based practice. Five general out-patient clinics are being transferred to the Hospital Authority in 2001-02 under a pilot scheme. The remaining clinics will be transferred in phases in the next few years.
Apart from public service, members of the community may seek medical treatment from the private sector, which includes medical practitioners working in private practices, housing estate clinics and 183 clinics registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance.
Dental Services
The department's Dental Service aims at promoting oral health in the community. through promotive and preventive oral health services.
Oral health education and promotion activities are organised throughout the year to enhance the general level of oral health awareness of the community. These activities include outreaching programmes delivered through an Oral Health Education Bus and target-specific programmes delivered through maternal and child health centres, kindergartens and pre-school centres to more than 190 000 pre-schoolers every year. Readily available information is also provided to the public through the Oral Health Education home page 'Tooth Club' and a 24-hour interactive Oral Health Education telephone hotline.
Preventive services are delivered through the School Dental Care Service which provides annual dental examination and basic dental care to about 437 230 children annually. A 24-hour interactive voice response system is available to provide voice
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