XN000022-1978-01-04 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1978

A REVIEW OF HONG KONG'S MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES ******

THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES IS MOVING TOWARDS A BALANCED PROVISION OF THE BASIC, PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND MORE SOPHISTICATION.

IN A REVIEW OF HONG KONG'S MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAID PLANS ARE IN HAND TO SET UP A CENTRAL HEALTH EDUCATION UNIT WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT EARLY THIS YEAR, WHICH WILL COORDINATE ALL HEALTH EDUCATION ACTIVITIES.

IT IS ENVISAGED THAT MORE LARGE-SCALE HEALTH CAMPAIGNS WILL BE LAUNCHED DURING 1978 TO ENABLE THE PUBLIC TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH CARE.

AT THE SAME TIME, MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES WILL MOVE TOWARDS SOPHISTICATION IN SPECIAL AREAS.

MORE SPECIALIST CLINICS WILL BE BUILT. A CORNEA TRANSPLANT UNIT AND A RENAL TRANSPLANT UNIT ARE TO BE SET UP AT PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL WHICH WILL PROVIDE FACILITIES FOR TRANSPLANT OPERATIONS.

+TREMENDOUS STRIDES HAVE BEEN MADE DURING THE PAST YEAR IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF A NUMBER OF WHAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS

'REVOLUTIONARY MEASURES, + THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

+ THE REGIONALISATION SCHEME WAS PUT INTO FORCE IN APRIL BRINGING ENCOURAGING RESULTS IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS. ONE OF THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME WAS TO PUT INTO THE BEST POSSIBLE USE OF THE FACILITIES AND MANPOWER WHICH EXISTED IN EACH REGION AND SO TO PRODUCE A MORE EFFECTIVE SERVICE.+

PRESSURE

THE IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE HAS LARGELY BEEN ACHIEVED. ON THE TWO MAJOR GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS, THE QUEEN MARY AND QUEEN ELIZABETH, HAS BEEN REDUCED WITH THEIR CAMP BEDS VIRTUALLY ELIMINATED.

AS A RESULT OF THE REGIONAL ISATION SCHEME, THE BED OCCUPANCY RATES OF THE SUBVENTED HOSPITALS SUCH AS POK OI, BUDDHIST, TUNG WAH AND YAN CHAI HOSPITALS HAVE NOW BEEN BROUGHT UP TO MORE THAN 80 PER CENT. A TOTAL OF 440 ADDITIONAL BEDS WERE BROUGHT INTO EFFECTIVE USE IN THE DISTRICT HOSPITALS WHICH CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE SCHEME. IN ALL, THE BED OCCUPANCY RATES IN 14 DISTRICT AND NON-ACUTE HOSPITALS NOW AVERAGE 82.3 PER CENT.

+ANOTHER AREA WHERE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IS IN THE FIELD OF COMMUNITY NURSING, THE SPOKESMAN OBSERVED.

+FOLLOWING ENDORSEMENT BY THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THE GOVERNMENT HAS GIVEN SUPPORT TO THE COMMUNITY NURSING SERVICE FROM APRIL 1, 1977.

+THE ORGANISATIONS