XN000022-1978-04-12 — Page 13

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1978

+THIS RESULT IS ALL THE MORE SIGNIFICANT WHEN IT IS REALISED THAT OUR POLICY IS TO ADMIT EVERY CASE THAT PRESENTS AT THE HOSPITALS AND WHICH NEEDS TO BE ADMITTED IRRESPECTIVE, AND THAT ADMISSIONS HAVE INCREASED BY SOME 11 PER CENT SINCE LAST YEAR,+ DR. THONG SAID.

FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF THE REGIONAL ISATION SCHEME, THE BED OCCUPANCY RATE OF THE SUBVENTED HOSPITALS HAS BEEN INCREASED TO THE SATISFACTORY LEVEL OF OVER 80 PER CENT.

DR. THONG STRESSED THAT THE EXERCISE IS NOT JUST AN ATTEMPT TO REDISTRIBUTE AND REDESIGNATE BEDS IN GOVERNMENT AND SUBVENTED HOSPITALS.

MORE RESOURCES HAVE IN FACT, BEEN MADE AVAILABLE IN REAL TERMS WITH A TOTAL OF 440 ADDITIONAL BEDS BEING BROUGHT INTO USE IN THE VARIOUS DISTRICT HOSPITALS, HE ADDED.

IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, HE SAID, THE CARITAS MEDICAL CENTRE EXTENSION WILL BE READY FOR USE, PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL 600 BEDS.

IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, A NUMBER OF MAJOR PROJECTS WILL ALSO COME INTO BEING IN RAPID SUCCESSION.

THESE WOULD INCLUDE THE PSYCHIATRIC WING OF THE PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL, THE TEACHING HOSPITAL AT SHA TIN, THE DISTRICT HOSPITAL AT TUEN MUN AND NO LESS THAN 10 CLINICS AND POLYCLINICS WILL BE COMPLETED AND EROUGHT INTO USE ONE AFTER ANOTHER COMMENCING WITH THE SHA TIN GENERAL CLINIC IN 1979.

DR. THONG POINTED OUT THAT THE COMPLETION OF MAJOR HOSPITAL PROJECTS BOTH IN GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS THE PRIVATE SECTOR WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE HOSPITAL BED PROVISION FROM THE PRESENT FIGURE OF 19,300 TO 25,000 BY THE EARLY 1980S.

THE BED/POPULATION RATIO SHOULD THEN HAVE REACHED 5.2 PER 1,000 POPULATION WHICH IS ONLY MARGINALLY BELOW OUR LONG TERM PLANNING TARGET OF 5.5 PER 1,000 POPULATION+, HE ADDED.

ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLINIC SERVICES, DR. THONG SAID BECAUSE THE OUT-PATIENT SYSTEM IS EFFECTIVE PROVIDING AS IT IS A PRACTICALLY FREE SERVICE WITH A FULL RANGE OF FACILITIES ON A +WALK-IN+ BASIS, IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT OVER THE YEARS AN OVERWHELMING DEMAND AS OPPOSED TO THE ACTUAL NEED FOR THIS SERVICE HAS BEEN GENERATED.

/HE SAID