XN000022-1980-11-08 — Page 2

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1980

GOVERNMENT CLINICS TREATED 12M CASES LAST YEAR

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PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENT GENERAL OUT-PATIENT SERVICES AND SPECIALIST SERVICES CONTINUES TO INCREASE WITH OVER 12 MILLION ATTENDANCES AT THE CLINICS LAST YEAR.

ACCORDING TO THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT. THE NUMBER OF GENERAL OUT-PATIENT ATTENDANCES WAS 4.46 MILLION, A SLIGHT INCREASE COMPARED WITH 4.27 MILLION IN 1978, WHILE SPECIALIST ATTENDANCES TOTALLED 8.19 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF 4.5 PER CENT.

AS DEMAND FOR SUCH SERVICES INCREASED STEADILY OVER THE PAST DECADE, EXTRA CLINIC SESSIONS IN THE EVENINGS AND ON SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC WHENEVER REQUIRED, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT AT THE END OF 1979, A TOTAL OF 20 606 HOSPITAL BEDS WERE AVAILABLE IN HONG KONG, OF WHICH 9 445 WERE IN GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS, 8 630 IN GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED HOSPITALS AND 2 531 IN PRIVATE HOSPITALS.

COMMENTING ON HOSPITAL SERVICES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE DEPARTMENT'S REGIONALISATION OF SERVICES HAS ACHIEVED A BETTER UTILIZATION OF GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED MEDICAL FACILITIES, PROVIDING PATIENTS WITH TREATMENT MOST APPROPRIATE TO THE IR CLINICAL CONDITIONS.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE UTILIZATION OF HOSPITAL BEDS, HE SAID, WAS EVIDENT IN THE BED OCCUPANCY RATES OF DISTRICT HOSPITALS WHICH HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF OVER 80 PER CENT.

+HOWEVER, THE DEMAND FOR SERVICES AT THE REGIONAL HOSPITALS LIKE QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL, QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL, KWONG WAH HOSPITAL AND PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL REMAINS HIGH, HE ADDED.

DEMAND ON CASUALTY SERVICES ALSO INCREASED CONSIDERABLY DURING THE YEAR, SAID THE SPOKESMAN.

ACCORDING TO RECORDS, CASUALTY ATTENDANCES AT GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS TOTALLED 578 877, AN INCREASE OF 5.6 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WHILE THE NUMBER OF IN-PATIENTS TREATED WAS 330 026, AN INCREASE OF 10 PER CENT.

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