TNAG-0655-FCO40-804-Development-of-medical-and-health-services-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 33

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Planning for a new blood transfusion centre which is necessary for the improvement in the collection, examination and distribution of blood and manufacture of blood products has commenced and should be completed within the next 4 years.

In view of the decreasing incidence of tuberculosis in recent years and the increasing importance of the subject of cardio thoracic medicine a proposal to convert the Grantham Hospital into a major cardio thoracic centre is under active consideration,

Thus, within the development programme as described above, there is a continuous pattern of improvement as shown in part by the improving ratio of beds to population, although at certain points in time between the completion of projects there may be an apparent worsening of ratio temporarily because of the increasing population in the meantime. However, the bed to population ratio will increase from 4.2 in 1976 to 5 by the end of the planning period (1985) and in the case of clinic consulting rooms the number will increase from 220 in 1976 to 341 in 1985

Following endorsement by the Medical Development Advisory Committee (MDAC) the Government has agreed to subvent the Community Nursing Services which are being undertaken by certain voluntary agencies and to evaluate the services in its third year. My Friend, Dr. Fang has suggested that there is no necessity for such an evaluation. The fact is, however, that this service is being undertaken by 6 separate agencies with varying programmes of work and varying levels and numbers of staff resulting in different degrees of impact on the utilisation of hospital beds as well as the general health care of the patients.

There is, however, a need for an agreed programme of work among all agencies and to evaluate how these services can best be fitted in to

complement and improve existing facilities and in particular whether and to what extent community nursing services can reduce pressures on hospital beds by relieving expensive in-patient institutions of patients who can be cared for at home. There will, in fact, be a continuous evaluation of the service commencing from the first year of its operation and if there is sufficient evidence to show that the service is attaining its objectives

the original three-year period could be modified to allow for an earlier expansion programme

In regard to the provision of clinic services, aside from the development of new projects, an immediate and practical measure that I have in

mind to cope with the heavy demands in certain arcas is the extension of the evening clinic services. Proposals for extra evening clinic sessions in areas where there are large demands are being looked into.

There are, of course, constraints upon the medical and health programme. One of the main ones is the provision of the necessary staff. My Friend, Dr. Fang has made specific reference to the subject of doctors in Government Service, a subject which has been very much in my own mind recently.

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