XN000022-1996-05-22 — Page 21

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Motion on provision of half-price medical service

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, at the motion debate on provision of half-price medical service to the handicapped and the elderly at the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Mr President,

I thank the many points raised by Members today. It was only three weeks ago that Members debated "Elderly Policy" in this Chamber. On that occasion, I spoke at length about the medical services that are already being provided for our elderly residents. I do not propose to repeat what I have said previously, other than to remind Members that a wide range of services is currently available.

However, I want to say a bit more about handicapped people. They are provided with a range of facilities and services to meet their medical needs. These include in-patient, out-patient, day hospital, accident and emergency, and community outreaching services provided by the Hospital Authority. In addition, there are specialist services that are tailored to the needs of people with a disability to help them overcome their structural or functional impairments and minimise the residual defects. The services include 4,873 psychiatric beds and 575 psychiatric day hospital places for the mentally ill, 825 hospital beds for the mentally handicapped, and over 200 ophthalmic beds for eye patients. As a new initiative, we will set up two rehabilitation teams for the chronically ill in 1996-97.

Members will, I think, agree that it is equally important to prevent impairments and to ensure that impairments do not escalate into more limiting disabilities. The Department of Health provides a comprehensive child assessment service for children from birth to the age of 11 years for those who are suspected or diagnosed to have a disability. Currently, four child assessment centres are in operation with a fifth scheduled for opening by the end of this year. Three others are being planned. The Department of Health also provides specialist oral and dental care to the mentally and physically handicapped at the dental units in Tuen Mun Hospital and Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. Such services will gradually be extended to four other dental units.

However, today's debate is not about the range or quality of medical services for elderly and handicapped people. It is about the fees payable by them. In fact, I would suggest that the issue is even broader than this. It involves consideration of fees for public healthcare services in general -- two groups of patients cannot simply be considered in isolation.