XN000022-1976-05-24 — Page 2

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MONDAY, MAY 24, 1976.

PRIVATE DONATIONS TOWARDS MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

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THERE HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE A ROLE FOR PRIVATE DONATIONS TOWARDS MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES IN HONG KONG, THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND INFORMATION, MR. DENIS BRAY, SAID TODAY.

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE TANG CHI NGONG SPECIALIST CLINIC, HE SAID THESE DONATIONS WOULD SERVE TO SPEED UP THE GOVERNMENT'S BASIC PROGRAMME, +FOR WHATEVER PACE THE GOVERNMENT ACTS IT IS CONSTRAINED BY OTHER DEMANDS ON THE PUBLIC PURSE.+

MR. BRAY SAID THAT SIR SHIU KIN TANG, WHO HAD RENDERED UNFAILING SUPPORT TO THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG FOR MANY YEARS, HAD BEEN RESPONSIBLE EITHER IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR THE FINANCIAL PROVISIONS OF AT LEAST EIGHT MAJOR PROJECTS,

INCLUDING THE NEW CLINIC.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF MR. BRAY'S SPEECH:-

+LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

+MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES IN HONG KONG HAVE BENEFITED

MUCH FROM DONATIONS RECEIVED FROM A NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS. NOWADAYS THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO FINANCE MEDICAL SERVICES FROM GENERAL REVENUE. THERE HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE A ROLE FOR PRIVATE DONATIONS. THESE SERVE TO SPEED UP THE GOVERNMENT'S BASIC PROGRAMME, FOR WHATEVER PACE THE GOVERNMENT ACTS IT IS CONSTRAINED BY OTHER DEMANDS ON THE PUBLIC PURSE. WE RECOGNISE THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR A SPEEDING UP AND SO PLAN THAT WHEN A DONATION IS RECEIVED IT MAKES A REAL AND VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO SERVICES WE BELIEVE THE PUBLIC WANTS. FOR MANY YEARS SIR SHIU KIN TANG HAS RENDERED UNFAILING SUPPORT TO THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLONY. HE HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE EITHER IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR THE CAPITAL FINANCIAL PROVISIONS OF AT LEAST EIGHT MAJOR PROJECTS OF A MEDICAL NATURE, INCLUDING THIS ONE.

+ IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN SIR DAVID TRENCH LAID THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THIS CLINIC ON MAY 20, 1971, BUT THE PLANNING OF THE CLINIC DATES BACK TO 1968. FROM THE VERY START, SIR SHIU KIN HAD OFFERED TO DONATE $500,000 TO THE PROJECT AND WHEN THE COST WAS LATER REVISED TO MORE THAN $6 MILLION, SIR SHIU KIN INCREASED HIS CONTRIBUTION TO $1.4 MILLION, THIS CLINIC IS NAMED, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SIR SHIU KIN'S WISH, AFTER HIS LATE FATHER, MR. TANG CHI-NGONG.

+ THE TANG CHI NGONG SPECIALIST CLINIC IS AN EIGHT-STOREY BUILDING AND WILL PROVIDE SPECIALIST OUT-PATIENT FACILITIES FOR MEDICINE, SURGERY, OPHTHALMOLOGY, GYNAECOLOGY, EAR, NOSE AND THROAT SURGERY, SPECIAL SKIN AS WELL AS ANCILLARY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. IT WILL DEAL WITH PATIENTS REFERRED FROM GENERAL OUT- PATIENT CLINICS AND OTHER DOCTORS FOR SPECIALIST OPINIONS AND SPECIAL FOLLOW-UP TREATMENT AND IN ADDITION, THE EXAMINATION OF PATIENTS DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITALS. THE CLINIC IS INTENDED TO REPROVISION THE OPHTHALMIC CLINIC AND THE PART-TIME SPECIALIST OUT-PATIENT CLINIC CURRENTLY HELD AT VIOLET PEEL POLYCLINIC AND WILL CATER FOR THE EASTERN PART OF THE ISLAND. VIOLET PEEL POLYCLINIC WILL THEREAFTER BE TURNED INTO A GENERAL OUT-PATIENT CLINIC, WITH DAY AND EVENING SESSIONS.

/+SIMILAR