XN000022-1993-10-11 — Page 13

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1993

THESE SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED AND THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO ACCEPT "REHABILITATED" STREET SLEEPERS INTO THEIR COMMUNITY.

MEMBERS ALSO NOTED THAT LEGISLATIVE MEASURES WERE NOT AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM AND THERE WAS NO NEED TO INTRODUCE NEW LEGISLATION.

SWAC CHAIRMAN MR ERIC LI SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS TAKING ACTIVE ACTION TO LEGALISE THE STANDARD OF PROVISIONS FOR BEDSPACE LODGERS AND THIS MIGHT HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE PROBLEM OF STREET-SLEEPING IF LODGERS WERE DISPLACED.

HE EXPECTED CONTINUOUS EFFORTS IN CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS IN COPING WITH THE DISPLACEMENT PROBLEM.

MEMBERS ALSO FOUND THAT OPTION A LISTED IN THE CONSULTATION DOCUMENT "TOWARDS BETTER HEALTH" WHICH RECOMMENDED A PERCENTAGE SUBSIDY APPROACH WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION.

UNDER THE PERCENTAGE SUBSIDY APPROACH, THE OPERATING COST OF EACH TYPE OF HOSPITAL WOULD BE SUBSIDISED TO THE SAME PERCENTAGE. то INCREASE PATIENT AWARENESS, THE OPERATING COST AND SUBSIDY WOULD BE PRINTED ON EACH PATIENT'S BILL.

MR LI SAID THE PUBLIC SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW THE COSTS OF THE SERVICES THEY WERE RECEIVING.

TYPES LEVEL

HE ALSO NOTED THAT THIS APPROACH WOULD ENABLE DIFFERENT OF HOSPITAL SERVICES, FOR EXAMPLE, INFIRMARIES, TO LEVY A LOWER OF CHARGES THAN THE PRESENT STANDARD CHARGE BECAUSE OF THEIR DIFFERENT COST STRUCTURE AND PROVISIONS WHEN COMPARED WITH A GENERAL HOSPITAL.

"HOWEVER,

THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS THAT HAVE TO BE FULLY ADDRESSED BEFORE THE PROPOSAL IS CONSIDERED FEASIBLE, HE ADDED.

AT

MR LI NAMED THE TWO MAJOR CONCERNS AS RISE IN MEDICAL COSTS A PACE FASTER THAN INFLATION AND THE LACK OF DETAIL IN THE DOCUMENT WHEN DESCRIBING THE SCOPE OF THE WAIVER SYSTEM IN THE LIGHT OF RISING CHARGES.

"THE RISE IN CHARGES OUGHT TO BE PLANNED IN ADVANCE WITH A CAPPING SYSTEM AND THE SCOPE OF THE MEDICAL WAIVER SYSTEM SHOULD ALSO GRADUALLY BE EXTENDED TO DEAL WITH GENUINE HARDSHIP CASES.

"OTHERWISE SOME PEOPLE WHO CAN MERELY AFFORD TO PAY THE PRESENT LEVEL OF FEE WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COPE WITH THE INCREASED FEE IF THEY ARE NOT BROUGHT INTO THE WAIVER SYSTEM, MR LI SAID.

HE SAID SWAC DID NOT FAVOUR THE ITEMISED FEE CHARGING SYSTEM ON FINANCIAL GROUNDS ALONE BECAUSE IT WAS TOO OPEN-ENDED.

"THOSE WHO ARE MOST IN NEED SUCH AS THE CHRONICALLY ILL AND THE DISABLED WILL BE HIT HARDEST, HE NOTED.

**

HE SAID SWAC ONLY SUPPORTED "THE USE OF ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICE" UNDER THE ITEMISED CHARGING OF OPTION B IN THE "TOWARDS BETTER HEALTH" DOCUMENT WHICH RECOMMENDED A TARGET GROUP APPROACH.

/ITEMISED CHARGING