XN000022-1981-02-25 — Page 23

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1981

THE ESTIMATES PROVIDE $1 162 MILLION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.

HE ALSO NOTED THAT MORE THAN 50 PRIVATE NON-PROF IT-MAK ING SCHOOLS WOULD BE CONVERTED INTO FULLY AIDED SCHOOLS BY SEPTEMBER 1982.

AND, SOME 65 NEW SCHOOLS WOULD BE BUILT DURING THE NEXT THREE TO FOUR YEARS, SIR PHILIP SAID.

ON POST-SECONDARY COLLEGES, SIR PHILIP SAID THE ENROLMENTS OF BAPTIST COLLEGE AND LINGNAN COLLEGE WOULD INCREASE FROM 2 367 TO 3 217, WHICH WOULD ACCOUNT FOR EXPENDITURE OF $17 MILLION IN 1981-82.

HE SAID THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDED $840.6 MILLION FOR EXPENDITURE IN CONNECTION WITH UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION, AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GRANTS SUBMITTED BY THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE WOULD INVOLVE $634 MILLION.

FULLY EARMARKED GRANTS OF $20 MILLION AND $38 MILLION ARE ALSO PROVIDED FOR IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW MEDICAL SCHOOL AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY AND A NEW DENTAL SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG RESPECTIVELY, HE SAID.

SIR PHILIP ALSO POINTED OUT THAT A SUBVENTION OF $17 MILLION IS INCLUDED IN THE 1981-82 DRAFT ESTIMATES TO MEET THE OPERATING EXPENSES OF THE PRINCE PHILIP DENTAL HOSPITAL WHICH WOULD BE READY TO ACCEPT PATIENTS IN APRIL.

$1 800 MILLION EARMARKED FOR HEALTH

*****

THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROPOSED TO EARMARK $1 884 MILLION FOR MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE SAID TODAY.

SIR PHILIP SAID THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDED FOR EXPENDITURE BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF $1 077 MILLION, ON MEDICAL SUBVENTIONS OF $590 MILLION AND ON CAPITAL WORKS OF $212 MILLION.

HE SAID THE INTEGRATION OF GOVERNMENT AND SUBVENTED HOSPITALS WITHIN THE REGIONAL SYSTEM HAD ALLEVIATED OVER-CROWDING IN THE MAIN GOVERNMENT REGIONAL HOSPITALS.

+TO ENABLE SUBVENTED HOSPITALS TO MAKE A STILL GREATER CONTRIBUTION TO THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE HOSPITAL CASES. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES ARE UNDERWAY IN THE YAN CHAI, CARITAS AND POK OF HOSPITALS.+

SIR PHILIP SAID NEARLY 1 300 ADDITIONAL BEDS WOULD BE PROVIDED TO GOVERNMENT AND SUBVENTED HOSPITALS IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR WHICH, TOGETHER WITH THE EXISTING 21 000 BEDS, +WILL MEET APPROXIMATELY 80 PER CENT OF THE ESTIMATED REQUIREMENT.+

/+THIS IC