WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1980
18
+ IN OUR PLANS FOR MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEVELOPMENT, CONSIDERABLE IMPROVEMENTS BOTH IN THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF THE SERVICE HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED AND ACCEPTED BY THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND WHEN THESE PLANS COME TO FRUITION HONG KONG WILL HAVE A MÉDICAL SERVICE THAT WE CAN BE PROUD OF,+ HE SAID.
THE DIRECTOR SAID 1980 WILL BE ANOTHER EXCITING YEAR WHICH WILL SEE THE COMPLETION OF SEVERAL MAJOR PROJECTS — THE SOUTH KWAI CHUNG HOSPITAL (PSYCHIATRIC WING OF THE PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL), AND THE DENTAL TEACHING HOSPITAL, TO BE FOLLOWED LATER BY THE SHATIN HOSPITAL WHICH WILL BECOME THE REGIONAL HOSPITAL FOR EAST NEW TERRITORIES,
ON THE SUBJECT OF SUBVENTED HOSPITALS, DR THONG SAID THERE WAS DEFINITELY NO DELIBERATE POLICY ON THE PART OF GOVERNMENT TO DOWNGRADE THEIR STATUS.
+SUBVENTED HOSPITALS HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN THE PROVISION OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES IN HONG KONG AS THE DEPARTMENT AND SUBVENTED HOSPITALS ARE JOINED TOGETHER IN PARTNERSHIP TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES, HE SAID.
DR THONG SAID HE HAD PROPOSED THAT THE SERVICES OF SOME SUBVENTED HOSPITALS SHOULD BE UPGRADED, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, SO AS TO ENABLE THEM TO ASSUME THE ROLE OF ACUTE GENERAL HOSPITALS.
+THIS POLICY HAS THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE MDAC AND THE NECESSARY STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO TRANSLATE POLICY INTO CONCRETE ACTION, HE SAID.
ON THE COMMUNITY NURSING SERVICE, THE DIRECTOR SAID THAT IN VIEW OF ITS SUCCESS AND POPULARITY, PLANS WERE IN HAND TO EXTEND THIS SERVICE FROM THE URBAN AREAS TO THE NEW TERRITORIES.
THERE ARE AT PRESENT 100 COMMUNITY NURSES IN THE SERVICE, AND IT IS ENVISAGED THAT AN ADDITIONAL 75 NURSES WILL BE TRAINED EACH YEAR WITHIN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS TO COPE WITH THE EXPANSION,
NOT GOVT'S POLICY TO RUN BUSINESSES
****
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IT HAS NEVER BEEN THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TO +RUN BUSINESSES+ UNLESS CIRCUMSTANCES SO DICTATE.
SAID
NEITHER DID HE ACCEPT THAT THE GOVERNMENT RAN ITS BUSINESSES BADLY. +THE FACT IS THAT THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE BUREAUCRACY CANNOT EASILY BE RECONCILED WITH THE RELATIVELY SIMPLISTIC, ALMOST MECHANISTIC, DISCIPLINE IMPOSED ON THE MANAGEMENT OF COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES BY PROF IT AND LOSS ACCOUNTING CONCEPTS, HE SAID IN THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE.
/+BY CONTRAST,.....
Page 20Page 21