TNAG-0976-FCO40-1195-Legislation-for-public-health-and-urban-services-in-Hong-Kon-1980 — Page 4

the management arrangements which will come into effect when the Hospital opens in the coming autumn. It is therefore proposed that the Governor should appoint a Frovisional Board, with membership on similar lines to those proposed for the statutory Board. The Provisional Board would also be charged with the task of advising on the details of the legislation, including the actual size of the Board, and whether there should be any public officers thereon, and if so how many. It will also advise on the details of the financial arrangements, which might include an unofficial Treasurer, who would chair a Finance Committee, or any alternative arrangement.

Charges for Treatment at the Dental Teaching Hospital

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When Members advised in January 1977 on the opening of the CTH to the public, they were informed that fees would be charged and that the proposed fees would be submitted for their prior consideration. As stated at that time, it is important that the fees charged should not become a deterrent to attendance, since without sufficient patients the Teaching Hospital would not be able to function. It was therefore proposed that a uniform fee per attendance should be charged, taking into account the relative costs of dental and medical treatment, with additional charges for the supply of appliances and use of precious metals.

14.

Further consideration has now been given to this question and a table of proposed fees is attached at Annex. Since the primary function of the Hospital is the training of dentists, it is not considered appropriate that likely operational costs should be taken into account, The proposed fees have therefore been determined in the light of the following considerations:

(a)

the need to ensure that sufficient patients are available for teaching purposes;

(b) the desirability of relating fees as closely as

practicable to those payable by patients at Government out-patient clinics and in the general wards of Government hospitals;

(c) the need for a simple system which will facilitate

easy collection of fees.

The proposed fees have been agreed by all parties concerned, including the Dean of Dental Studies, and it is proposed that they should be adopted for initial implementation; the Board of Governors will of course be empowered to regulate the level of fees in the light of changing circumstances, bearing in mind that the level of fees would also affect the amount of the required annual subvention.

CONFIDENTIAL #