TNAG-0507-FCO40-572-Development-of-medical-and-health-services-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 42

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Mr Male o.r,

Sir D Watson o.r

Watson

PS/Lord Gorony-Roberts

M. Ghoom.

The st

to su bint we put onis my. Mr Make's Sird. Wilm's comment "fecially relevant in the content of a defence

Flag

1.

are

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES IN HONG KONG

Conventive

21 hom

2/9

A White Praer setting out a programme for the improvement and expansion of Hong Kong's medical and health services over the next ten years was tabled in the Legislative Council on 17 July 1974. 2. In March 1973, the Hong Kong Government appointed the Medical Development Advisory Committee to advise on what programmes of improvements and expansion would be appropriate over the next ten years. Their report was tabled as a Green Paper in the Legislative Council on 31 October 1973 so that members of the public might express their views. These comments, together with advice

received from interested organisations, have been reflected in the White Paper which has now been prepared.

3.

The main proposal in the report is that in future medical and health services should be organised on a regional basis.

The aim will be to serve each region with all appropriate general and specialist facilities. A target of 5.5 hospital beds per 1,000 population by 1983 has been set (at the end of 1972 there were 4.26 beds per 1,000 population). To help achieve this target, it is proposed that four new hospitals should be built, together with the further development of existing hospitals. Other objectives will be to create new training facilities for doctors, and general and psychiatric nurses; and to develop further dental services. More clinics and polyclinics will also be provided. of the Government proposals is given in Chapter 4 of the report.

It has been estimated that it will cost HK 914 million, at mid-1974 prices, to implement all the proposals. If all the projects are completed the annual recurrent costs (including subventions) would, at current prices, increase from HK$460 million in 1974/75 to about HK$900 million. This will make substantial demands upon the financial resources of the Colony, and at the present time there must be some uncertainty whether all the projects can be completed

/by the end

4.

A full summary