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Health
Secondary, Tertiary and Specialised Health Care
These services are available mainly in the Hospital Authority's hospitals and specialist outpatient clinics. As at end-2018, the city had 28,929 public hospital beds, comprising 22,561 general beds, 2,041 infirmary beds, 3,647 beds for the mentally ill and 680 beds for the mentally handicapped. There were also 4,657 beds in private hospitals, 5,974 in nursing homes and 874 in institutions run by the Correctional Services Department. There were 5.42 beds per 1,000 people. Public hospitals spent $40 billion on inpatient services in 2017-18 and discharged 1.83 million inpatients and day inpatients in 2018.
The Hospital Authority's specialist outpatient clinics arrange appointments for new patients based on the urgency of their clinical conditions, to ensure those with acute conditions receive priority. Patients in stable condition are referred to family medicine and general outpatient clinics, or to primary care practitioners in the private sector for follow-up. In 2018, the Hospital Authority's specialist outpatient clinics recorded 7.87 million attendances.
In 2017-18, spending on both public and private inpatient and specialist outpatient services. totalled about $82.7 billion, of which 71 per cent was spent on the public sector. The Hospital Authority's specialist clinics spent about $11.5 billion on providing medical services.
Allied Health Service
Allied health professionals working under the Hospital Authority include audiologists, clinical psychologists, dietitians, occupational therapists, optometrists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, prosthetists and orthotists, speech therapists and medical social workers. They provide rehabilitative and extended care to help patients receiving inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory and community care services to reintegrate into society. In 2018, the Hospital Authority's allied health outpatient departments recorded about 2.83 million attendances.
Accident and Emergency Services
Eighteen public hospitals provide accident and emergency services, delivering a high standard of service for critically ill or injured people and victims of disasters.
Patients are classified under five categories according to their clinical conditions: critical cases come under Category 1, emergency cases under Category 2, urgent cases under Category 3, semi-urgent cases under Category 4, and non-urgent cases under Category 5. The triage system ensures patients with more urgent needs receive prompt treatment. In 2018, all Category 1 patients received immediate treatment and over 95 per cent of Category 2 patients were treated within 15 minutes.
These services spent some $3.1 billion in 2017-18 and handled 2.15 million visits by 1.26 million people in 2018, an average of about 5,900 attendances per day.
2
Consisting of all beds in the Hospital Authority's hospitals, private hospitals, nursing homes and correctional institutions.
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