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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hospice care should be introduced in Hong Kong, it could best be provided by subvention to voluntary agencies. Another suggestion was that a pilot scheme could be set up in one or two regional government hospitals to co-ordinate efforts in improving care to the terminally ill.
Some form of hospice care is available in the Nam Long Hospital, Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, Haven of Hope Hospital and the United Christian Hospital. While some of this service is partially subvented by the Government, some is supported by funds obtained by the organizations themselves. There are also two volunteer visiting schemes for terminally ill patients in Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Prince of Wales Hospital.
MR. PAUL CHENG: Will the Administration advise this Council whether there are plans to help co-ordinate efforts being made by various voluntary agencies so that a more formal and concerted effort can be made to develop a Hong Kong- wide hospice programme?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, personally I think there is much to be said for the concept of hospice care, and I will certainly ask the Director of Medical and Health Services to look into the possibility of co- ordinating efforts in the voluntary sector to expand the provision of hospice care within available resources.
MR. CHOW: Sir, will the Administration inform this Council why the Medical Development Advisory Committee has said that hospice care could best be carried out by subvention to voluntary agencies?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, I have gone through the minutes of that particular Medical Development Advisory Committee meeting in detail, and the discussions were very wide-ranging. What I quoted was the conclusion. I suppose I should begin by explaining the specific objectives of hospice care service, and that is to palliate the isolation, anxiety and fear associated with incurable illnesses, to assist families to take care of patients at home, and to enable patients to maintain independence for as long and as comfortably as possible in the home environment, to provide the best possible symptom control and an easy and dignified ending, and to provide supporting services to the family during the period of bereavement. The achievement of the above requires an essential feature, which is to involve volunteer care givers including family members, friends, religious personnel and the community. It
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