WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1983
+SECONDLY, IT MUST BE REALISED THAT THERE ARE STILL TWO MAJOR AND DISTINCT SPECIALTIES IN THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH FIELD. 1.E. PUBLIC HEALTH AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE ON THE ONE HAND, AND CLINICAL AND CURATIVE MEDICINE ON THE OTHER. WHILE THERE MAY BE SOME AREAS OF OVERLAP, THESE ARE RECOGNISED AND SEPARATE SPECIALTIES IN THEIR OWN RIGHTS.
*THAT OUR HEALTH INDICES ARE AMONG SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD AND THAT WE ARE RELATIVELY FREE FROM MAJOR EPIDEMICS ARE IN NO SMALL MEASURE DUE TO THE CORRECT EMPHASIS ON PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND ARE VINDICATIONS OF OUR PREFERENCE FOR THE PRESENT STRUCTURE OF MULTIPLE DEPUTY DIRECTORS, DR THONG SAID.
ON THE PROPOSAL OF A SEPARATE PAEDIATRIC HOSPITAL FOR HONG KONG, DR THONG SAID THE SUBJECT HAD BEEN THOROUGHLY VENTILATED AND DEBATED UPON AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND LEVELS IN PUBLIC OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.+
DR THONG SAID THAT ONE VIEW ADVOCATED THAT A SPECIALIST PAEDIATRIC HOSPITAL WITH MODERN FACILITIES BE BUILT AS A SEPARATE ENTITY IN ONE LOCATION IN HONG KONG, WHILE ANOTHER VIEW FELT THAT MODERN PAEDIATRIC FACILITIES SHOULD BE PROVIDED IN ALL MAJOR HOSPITALS, EVENLY AND FAIRLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY.
+THUS IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE IS A UNIVERSAL AGREEMENT THAT THERE SHOULD BE PROVISIONS FOR MODERN PAEDIATRIC FACILITIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR CHILDREN.
+HOWEVER, IT IS EQUALLY CLEAR THAT THE BASIC DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO VIEWS LIES ON HOW AND WHERE SUCH FACILITIES ARE TO BE DISTRIBUTED SO AS TO ACHIEVE THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FOR THOSE IN NEED, HE SAID.
HE SAID THAT MODERN PAEDIATRIC FACILITIES WERE BY AND LARGE THE SAME, THOUGH THEY MIGHT BE KNOWN BY DIFFERENT TERMS, SUCH AS PAEDIATRIC HOSPITAL, PAEDIATRIC UNIT OR PAEDIATRIC BLOCK.
IT WAS NOT CORRECT TO CONCLUDE THAT ONLY A PURPOSE-BUILT PAEDIATRIC HOSPITAL COULD PROVIDE FOR THE PROPER CARE OF CHILDREN.
GOVERNMENT'S PLAN IS TO PROVIDE FOR FULLY-EQUIPPED, MODERN UP-TO-DATE PAEDIATRIC FACILITIES WHICH WILL INCLUDE MOTHER-CHILD ROOMS, PAEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNITS, PLAY AREAS, ISOLATION ROOMS, AND SHORT-STAY WARDS, IN ALL THE DEPARTMENT'S APPROVED AND PLANNED PROJECTS IN MAJOR HOSPITALS, HE SAID.
+ IN FACT, EACH AND EVERY PAEDIATRIC PROJECT IN SUCH GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS WILL BE BUILT, STAFFED AND EQUIPPED SO THAT THEY MAY BE REGARDED AS CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE BY THEMSELVES.
+I HOPE THAT WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID HAS CLARIFIED ANY DOUBTS ON THE WISDOM OF THE GOVERNMENT'S PREFERENCE ON THIS MATTER, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN NOW CONCENTRATE ON THE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND CONCRETE ACTIVITIES IN OUR EFFORTS TO BRING ABOUT PAEDIATRIC FACILITIES WHICH ARE SO NECESSARY FOR THE WELL BEING OF OUR CHILDREN, DR THONG SAID.
/REFERRING TO