TNAG-0507-FCO40-572-Development-of-medical-and-health-services-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 106

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CONFIDENTIAL # #

Chapter 2

The standards met in 1964

Hospital beds

THE PRESENT POSITION

2.1

The White Paper on the Development of Medical Services in Hong Kong published in 1964, established what it then described as minimal ratios of provision necessary for augmented clinic and hospital services to meet the most urgent medical and health needs. It stated

that by 1972 the standards should be

4.25 hospital beds per 1,000 population; ·

one standard urban clinic to 100,000 urban population;

one standard rural clinic to 50,000 rural population; and

one polyclinic for every 500,000 population.

2.2

By the end of 1972, the design capacity of hospitals in

Hong Kong stood at 16,142 beds. 827 of the beds in Government hospitals were, and still are, considered by the Director of Medical and Health

Services to be below acceptable standards.* Had these beds been eliminated

the total number of hospital beds available for use would have been 15,315 (a ratio of 3.76 per 1,000 population). However, such has been

the need to cope with the level of admissions that these substandard

beds have had to be retained and, in addition, a further 1,245 temporary beds** have had to be provided (566 in Queen Elizabeth Hospital and 679 in Castle Peak Hospital). In all, therefore, there were in use at the end of 1972 a total of 17,387 hospital beds (a ratio of 4.26 beds per 1,000 population).

2.3

The Princess Margaret and the United Christian Hospitals

will come into full commission during 1975. At that time, when the

population is expected to be 4.34 million, there will be a total of 17,201 beds (a ratio of 3.97 per 1,000 population) or of 19,185 beds (4.42 beds per 1,000 population) if 1,984 temporary and substandard

beds are retained.

G.F. 323

* Substandard beds are beds in wards of old hospitals which must

either be demolished because of structural factors or extensively renovated.

** Temporary beds comprise additions of normal beds in wards and are

for patients in excess of the design capacity of the wards. These beds are necessary so long as the number of patients exceeds the design capacity of the wards. They do not include camp beds.

CONFIDENTIAL

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