XN000022-1995-06-01 — Page 12

- 10

I don't think that this Council would be wise to argue for completely eliminating charges. I suspect that in this community, as in others over the coming years, we're going to find ourselves faced with the difficult consequences of a growing financial burden for health care and a growing reluctance on the part of the community to actually pay what is required for the technological and other advances in health care and I don't think it would be sensible to completely eliminate one small resource which helps to finance health care at the moment, that is charges. I think it makes more sense to try to rationalise charges and to ensure that nobody who is in need is either prevented from receiving medical treatment because of cost or is financially crippled as a result of needing medical treatment because of the high cost of charges. We must try to strike a balance but I think that balance would have been best struck in the amendment which unfortunately my honourable friends didn't have the opportunity of voting for yesterday.

Mr Michael Ho (through interpreter): Mr President, first of all I would like to thank the Governor for his support for my motion yesterday. Well yesterday night I learnt about the reply and I felt that there would be a change in the policy, that's why I asked the Governor the question today.

Now, as regards the concept of itemised medical charges I would like to say that we are now going to turn the collective responsibilities at present to a burden that is to be shared by individual households. I want to have a public consultation exercise on this change of policy. Can you tell me, from now on to September you will ask relevant government departments to conduct some kind of public consultation?

Governor: Well of course we're taking account of the views of the public, we're taking account of the views of the Hospital Authority and others. Unless we listen to what the community is saying we won't be able to come off with a policy in the Autumn which has the broadest possible support. What we all know, is that nobody much cares for charges for anything but we do have to find a way of funding the continuing development and improvement of our health service and at the margins, and it is at the margins, charges will I'm sure continue to have a role to play. But I repeat what I said earlier about the importance of dealing with particular groups and particular individuals in need, both by policy changes and by the resources allocated through things like the Samaritan Fund.

Dr Yeung Sum (through interpreter): Thank you, Mr President. As regards electoral registration, there may not be an increase in the number of registered voters but there is an increase in the number of people unemployed. Last night a bank announced 3.2% as the unemployment rate. I think it is just reasonable for us to stop importation of labour. I think the Governor should check what his officials said in the past. His officials somehow said that unemployment was not related to importation of labour. So I really hope that the Government will stop importing labour.

+