TNAG-1855-FCO40-2630-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 116

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL —15 March 1989

香港立法局

一九八九年三月十五日

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Secondly, the staff consultation process was not properly conducted by the Administration. Staff up to now still complain that they do not have enough information and the explanations given by the Administration are making them run in the maze.

Thirdly, most of the staff do not have much confidence in the future Hospital Authority. If Government insists on the splitting of the Medical and Health Department with effect from 1 April 1989, the situation may become even worse. Since the Hospital Authority will be established in 1990, is there really an urgent need to split the Medical and Health Department next month? Such action taken by the Government will only further reduce staff's confidence in the future Hospital Authority.

Lastly I do not understand why the Government does not review the overall medical and health services but only the hospital services. Prevention is better than cure, bearing in mind that health care service is a preventive service.

Sir, with these remarks, I have reservations about the implementation date. I do not support the motion.

DR. LEONG: Sir, I rise in response to the resolution on the splitting of the current Medical and Health Department.

Whilst this move is no doubt in preparation for the forthcoming Hospital Authority and in this aspect it is a step towards the right direction, I would like to take this opportunity to express some of the views of the medical profession and my own on this move, perhaps to respond to and echo some of the views made by my honourable colleagues who spoke earlier today.

The medical profession has always been sceptical and understandably disappointed by the fact that the Administration has ignored a total review of medical health care in Hong Kong and have so far only laid emphasis on one sector of medical care, that is, the delivery of hospital care.

Primary health care, for an example, is just as important if not more in the total provision of health care in society. This point, however, Sir, has never been addressed. I do hope that the establishment of a separate Department of Health would act as a catalyst to a more speedy consideration towards this aspect of health care in Hong Kong.

There are obviously many grey areas remaining after the splitting of the department. Many of the front-line workers too would be at a loss in relation to their sense of belonging and a disillusion towards their job career in the future