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Mrs Fok also announced that the Government would extend its student health service to cover over 400,000 secondary school children, in addition to its service for 450,000 primary school children which was started last month.
In addition, the number of school social workers will be increased to enable around 100 schools to have one school social worker to 1,000 students.
Turning to medical and health services, Mrs Fok expected that public hospitals would treat some 846,000 in-patients while the general clinics and specialist clinics would provide consultation for some 4.5 million and 6.3 million out-patients respectively in 1995-96.
To alleviate the overcrowded conditions at Castle Peak Hospital, the Government will embark on the final phase of its redevelopment project at a capital cost of about $850 million upon completion of the first phase in 1996-97.
The Government also proposes to inject $20 million into the Samaritan Fund which provides a source of financial assistance to patients who cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment. This helps to ensure that no one in Hong Kong is denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means.
Earlier in her opening remarks, Mrs Fok stressed that new policy initiatives and targets involving major construction would take some time to achieve.
She said she fully understood the natural eagerness of all to see announcements of these initiatives and targets being translated into tangible improvements in service as quickly as possible.
"But the need for consultation with local residents, planning, design and construction inevitably means a long lead time, a time-lag, before targets can be met," she explained.
"There cannot be a smooth annual increase in places to meet targets which may have been set two or three years ago. Many of our targets are for achievement by 1997. Because of lead times, the bulk of these new places will indeed only be able to come on stream in 1997.
"We would all wish them to be earlier but the fact that they may have not yet come on stream should not be interpreted as a cause for concern or as a failure," she stressed.
End/Friday, October 13, 1995