XN000022-1993-09-27 — Page 9

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1993

"OUR APPROACH HAS THEREFORE BEEN TO FOCUS NOT ONLY ON THE MACRO AND LEVEL OF GLOBAL PLANNING, BUT ALSO ON THE NATURE OF LOCAL DEMAND ACCESS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC, SHE SAID.

**

THE ADOPTION OF THIS NEW APPROACH HAS REVEALED

AN OVERALL SURPLUS OF HOSPITAL BEDS IN THE URBAN AREAS WHILE RESIDENTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES FACE A SERIOUS SHORTFALL OF ACUTE CARE.

"IN THE LIGHT OF THESE FINDINGS, THE GOVERNMENT RECENTLY ENDORSED THE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW HOSPITAL IN NORTH DISTRICT AS A 'FAST-TRACK, TURN-KEY' PROJECT, COMPLEMENTED BY EFFORTS TO REDUCE

MRS WONG SAID. AND REDESIGNATE SURPLUS BEDS IN URBAN AREAS,

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOSPITAL, THIS MEANS

WITH 600 BEDS,

YEARS A WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN FOUR YEARS, COMPARED WITH OVER 10 HOSPITAL OF THIS SIZE NORMALLY TAKES TO BUILD.

THE GOVERNMENT ALSO

TRADITIONAL PROCESS.

ADOPTS THE OPTION OF AWARDING DESIGN-AND-BUILD CONTRACT IN ORDER TO SPEED UP THE

A

NON-

WHOLE

+

"BUT THE FACT THAT IT IS A FAST-TRACK' CONTRACT DOES NOT THAT IT HAS TO BE CONSTRUCTED AT A HIGH COST, THE SECRETARY SAID.

**

MEAN

"WE HAVE QUICKLY PUT IN PLACE A NEW CONTROL AND MONITORING MECHANISM TO FACILITATE EFFECTIVE PLANNING TO ENSURE COMPLETION OF THE

SHE ADDED. PROJECT ON TIME AND TO KEEP COSTS WITHIN THE BUDGET,

**

MRS WONG ALSO SAID THE FOCUS OF HONG KONG'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS CHANGING, WITH GREATER EMPHASIS NOW BEING GIVEN TO HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION.

"ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL WAYS IN WHICH WE IN HONG KONG DEVELOPING THIS CHANGE IN FOCUS TOWARDS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IS BY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DISTRICT HEALTH SYSTEM," SHE SAID.

ARE THE

A

UNDER THIS SCHEME, THE WHOLE TERRITORY WILL BE DIVIDED INTO VARIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRICTS, WITHIN WHICH ALL THE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WILL BE ORGANISED INTO

THROUGH NETWORK

WHICH DIFFERENT TYPES OF PREVENTIVE, PROMOTIVE, CURATIVE AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED.

||

"THE BENEFITS OF THIS SCHEME ARE THAT IN DEVOLVING MUCH OF

ΤΟ PLANNING PROCESS

THE DISTRICT LEVEL, WE CAN BETTER PROVIDE A NETWORK OF SERVICES WHICH MEET THE REAL, RATHER THAN THE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION, MRS WONG SAID.

THE

STATISTICAL,

AS REGARDS THE DELIVERY OF WELFARE SERVICES, MRS WONG SAID GOVERNMENT IS ADVOCATING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH,

THE

CARE,

申取

"THE DELIVERY OF A COMBINATION OF SERVICES, FOR EXAMPLE,

A COUNSELLING, ELDERLY AND YOUTH SERVICES FROM FAMILY LOCATION WILL PROVIDE OUR CUSTOMERS WITH MORE CONVENIENT ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF SERVICES, SHE SAID.

CHILD

SINGLE

A

"IT WILL ALSO OFFER GREATER COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND FLEXIBILITY TO SERVICE PROVIDERS," SHE ADDED.

/IN CONCLUSION