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Provision of rehabilitation places on target
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The schedule for the development of the Aberdeen Rehabilitation Centre has been revised to enable work to be completed on time.
Upon completion in 1997, the purpose-built centre will provide 1,400 new places for people with various disabilities.
"This means that, if all goes well, the Government should meet its target of 3,930 new residential places by 1997," a spokesman for the Health and Welfare Branch said following the Governor's meeting with 13 representatives from five major parent associations of mentally handicapped people at Government House today (Friday).
In the 1992 Policy Address, the Governor pledged to meet the following key targets in the Green Paper on Rehabilitation: an additional 3,930 residential places for people with various disabilities; and an additional 3,760 day places for mentally handicapped persons, comprising 1,650 places in day activity centres and 2,110 places in sheltered workshops.
"Earlier this year it appeared that the Government might be unable to meet the target of 3,930 residential places by 1997," the spokesman said.
"However, following a meeting of officials chaired by the Governor last month, it is now clear that we should be able to meet our target by 1997, and may even slightly exceed this."
On day activity centres, the Government has looked critically at the original 1992 Policy Address of providing 1,650 places by 1997, in the light of the changing needs of mentally handicapped people.
The demand for this service has also been reviewed by the Rehabilitation Programme Plan Review Committee, consisting of representatives from non- governmental organisations, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and concerned departments.
"We all agreed that the demand for day activity centre places is not as great as had originally been envisaged.
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