XN000022-1987-03-25 — Page 34

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1987

32

ACTION TAKEN TO BOOST SUBVENTED HOSPITAL OCCUPANCY

*****

THE BED OCCUPANCY RATES OF SUBVENTED HOSPITALS WERE GENERALLY LOWER THAN THAT OF GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS. THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON JOHN CHAMBERS, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON CHIU HIN-KWONG, MR CHAMBERS SAID THAT THE OVERALL OCCUPANCY RATES IN SUBVENTED HOSPITALS AND GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS WERE 78.9 PER CENT AND 90.4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY LAST YEAR.

+THE BED OCCUPANCY RATES OF A HOSPITAL DEPENDS ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS INCLUDING THE TYPE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE HOSPITAL, THE CASE-MIX AND THE DURATION OF STAY OF THE PATIENTS, HE SAID.

+ IN ADDITION, THE TRADITIONAL PREFERENCE OF THE PUBLIC FOR ADMISSION INTO GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS APPEARS TO BE ONE CAUSE OF THE RELATIVELY LOWER OCCUPANCY RATE IN THE SUBVENTED HOSPITALS. +

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE AVERAGE OCCUPANCY RATE OF ALMOST 79 PER CENT FOR SUBVENTED HOSPITALS WAS BY INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND WAS ONLY RELATIVELY LOWER THAN WHEN COMPARED TO THE OVERCROWDED SITUATION IN MOST GOVERNMENT REGIONAL HOSPITALS.

+IT IS GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TO ENCOURAGE A MORE EVEN UTILISATION OF HOSPITAL BEDS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND SUBVENTED HOSPITAL SECTORS,+ MR CHAMBERS SAID.

HE SAID THAT MEASURES WHICH HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT TOWARDS THIS END INCLUDED:

*

*

THE CONVERSION OF SPECIALTY WARDS WITH LOW OCCUPANCY RATES SUCH AS PAEDIATRIC AND OBSTETRIC WARDS, INTO SURGICAL AND MEDICAL WARDS FOR WHICH THERE WAS A GREATER DEMAND 1

MORE PUBLICITY REGARDING THE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICES OF SOME SUBVENTED HOSPITALS,

* ACTIVE ENCOURAGEMENT OF DOCTORS IN NEARBY CLINICS TO

REFER MORE CASES TO SUBVENTED HOSPITALS, AND

*

THE TRANSFER OF CONVALESCENT PATIENTS FROM GOVERNMENT REGIONAL HOSPITALS TO SUBVENTED HOSPITALS.

+ IN ADDITION, THE CONSULTANTS' REPORT ON THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM RECOMMENDED A STRATEGY OF INTEGRATION THROUGH THE PROPOSED HOSPITAL AUTHORITY TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM.

+THIS RECOMMENDATION IS STILL BEING CONSIDERED AND NO FINAL DECISION HAS YET BEEN MADE, HE SAID.

/33