XN000022-1992-05-27 — Page 42

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GOVERNOR VISITS QEH

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1992

THE GOVERNOR, LORD WILSON, TODAY (WEDNESDAY) VISITED THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL WHERE HE WAS BRIEFED ON PROGRESS IN ELIMINATING CAMP BEDS FROM PUBLIC HOSPITALS,

HE CONGRATULATED THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY ON ACHIEVING THIS OBJECTIVE AT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL WELL AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

LORD WILSON SAID:

SAID

FROM

"IN MY ADDRESS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LAST OCTOBER, I THAT I HOPED IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO ELIMINATE CAMP BEDS OVERCROWDED HOSPITAL WARDS WITHIN A YEAR. I AM PLEASED TO HEAR THAT

WILL COME VERY CLOSE ΤΟ ACHIEVING

THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY

FORMIDABLE TARGET.

THIS

"WHEN I VISITED QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL IN AUGUST OVERCROWDING IN SOME OF THE WARDS WAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM.

1987

"OVER 100 CAMP BEDS WERE BEING USED IN THE WARDS. NOW THESE HAVE DISAPPEARED. THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY IS ON TARGET ΤΟ ELIMINATE CAMP BEDS AT PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL BY OCTOBER.

"AT THAT STAGE, OVER 70% OF THE CAMP BEDS IN OUR HOSPITALS WILL HAVE BEEN REMOVED. ALL SHOULD HAVE GONE BY EARLY 1993.

"THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY WAS SET UP WITH THE CLEAR OBJECTIVE RAISING THE STANDARDS OF PATIENT CARE IN OUR PUBLIC HOSPITALS.

OF

"THIS IS THE CRITERION BY WHICH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE AUTHORITY WILL BE JUDGED. THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. TO GET RID OF CAMP BEDS SHOWS THAT THIS QUALITATIVE IMPROVEMENT IS BEING ACHIEVED.'

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THE GOVERNOR WAS TOLD THAT THE ELIMINATION OF CAMP BEDS HAD BEEN ACHIEVED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF OVERFLOW WARDS TO PROVIDE A CENTRAL POOL OF BEDS FOR PATIENTS DISPLACED FROM THE SPECIALIST WARDS.

IN THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL, THIS ARRANGEMENT HAS BEEN COMPLEMENTED BY EIGHT ADDITIONAL OBSERVATION BEDS IN THE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.

THE GOVERNOR WAS BRIEFED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY, SIR S.Y. CHUNG; THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, DR E.K. YEOH; AND THE MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENT, DR CHOY YUEN-CHUNG,

HE TOURED SOME OF THE OLD WARDS AND THE NEW B BLOCK AND WAS BRIEFED ON THE HOSPITAL'S DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.

EXTENSION,

THE GOVERNOR WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED TO HEAR ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE OLDER WARDS, INCLUDING CENTRAL AIR-CONDITIONING AND RENOVATION, AND THE INSTALLATION OF THE FIRST MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SYSTEM IN THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY.

THIS NEW SYSTEM FOR SCANNING AND DIAGNOSIS WILL BE COMMISSIONED DURING THE AUTUMN OF THIS YEAR.

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