XN000022-1991-01-16 — Page 9

8

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1991

VBP

USE OF MEDICAL FACILITIES BY VR,

WILL NOT AFFECT SERVICE TO LOCALS

AND AND

VIETNAMESE USAGE RATES OF MEDICAL FACILITIES BY THE

REFUGEES HOSPITALS BOAT PEOPLE CAN BE ABSORBED WITHIN THE CAPACITY OF OUR

THE ACTING THUS HAVE HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC, SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON M. D. CARTLAND, INFORMED THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

MR

THE 0.5 PER

CHOW, IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON RONALD

BY CARTLAND

VIETNAMESE SAID OVERALL, THE USE OF MEDICAL FACILITIES REFUGEES AND BOAT PEOPLE CONSTITUTED LESS THAN THREE PER CENT OF CASE-LOAD AND OCCUPANCY IN REGIONAL HOSPITALS AND LESS THAN CENT IN SUBVENTED HOSPITALS.

"NO MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC HAS EVER BEEN TURNED AWAY PROMPT AND ADEQUATE TREATMENT BECAUSE OF THE USE OF THESE BY VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND BOAT PEOPLE, HE SAID.

HE SAID THE MONTHLY AVERAGE OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES PEOPLE USING THE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICE IN REGIONAL HAD RISEN FROM 805 IN 1989 TO 992 IN 1990.

OR DENIED FACILITIES

AND BOAT HOSPITALS

HOSPITAL PER

IN THE SAME PERIOD, THE AVERAGE OCCUPANCY OF REGIONAL BEDS BY THESE PEOPLE HAD ALSO INCREASED FROM 2.3 PER CENT TO 2.9 CENT, HE SAID.

IN

REFUGEES OCCUPANCY AND

VIETNAMESE SUBVENTED HOSPITALS, MR CARTLAND SAID AND BOAT PEOPLE ACCOUNTED FOR 0.4 PER CENT OF THE BED THAT THIS RATE HAD REMAINED STEADY OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS.

NO RECORD WAS KEPT OF THEIR USE OF THE SUBVENTED ACCIDENT EMERGENCY SERVICE PRIOR TO MAY 1990.

AND

THAT

"BASED ON THE STATISTICS AVAILABLE SINCE THEN, IT IS OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY 120 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND BOAT PEOPLE VISIT ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN SUBVENTED HOSPITALS MONTH," HE ADDED.

THE

BACH

MOTION ON ECR 4 PASSED

THE

THE

HON

(WEDNESDAY).

MOTION ON THE EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO. 4, MOVED

SELINA CHOW, WAS PASSED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

BY

TODAY

TWENTY-THREE MEMBERS SPOKE ON THE MOTION AND THE SECRETARY EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON K.Y. YEUNG, SPOKE ON BEHALF OF GOVERNMENT.

FOR

THE

/ANOTHER MOTION