X1000306-1988-89_Part01 — Page 4

I Introduction

The Medical and Health Department provides a balanced and comprehensive programme of promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services to the community of Hong Kong so as to safeguard and promote the general public health of the community. However, the changing pattern of diseases, the increasing population, the rising expectation of people, the influx of refugees and immigrants together with the constraints of limited manpower and financial resources, all have imposed a heavy strain on the provision of those services. In order to meet such demands, the Medical & Health Department has embarked on an extensive medical development programme which includes the construction of four major hospitals and 18 additional clinics and polyclinics.

For the 1988/89 financial year, the Medical and Health Department's expenditure was $3,507.2 millions. Subventions totalling about $1,624.9 millions are also being made to many non-Government medical institutions and organisations. The capital expenditure on hospitals and other buildings furniture and equipment was $552.1 millions.

11 Health-of-the-Community

The people in Hong Kong are enjoying a high standard of health, this is largely due to anti-epidemic and disease surveillance measures, developments in promotive, preventive and personal health services and general improvement in the socio-economic conditions of the population. This progress is further reflected in the highly satisfactory health indices and the general low incidence of major communicable diseases.

It was

The estimated mid-year population of Hong Kong in 1988 was 5.68 millions, an increase of 1.2% compared with the previous year. also estimated that about 22.1% of the population were under 15 and 8.3% were 65 and over.

The crude death rate was 4.8 per thousand population. Figure 2 shows the age specific death rates in Hong Kong for the year 1988. The five major leading causes of death in Hong Kong were malignant neoplasms, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia and various injuries/ poisoning. The commonest forms of malignancy in Hong Kong were cancers of the lung, liver, colon, stomach, nasopharynx and oesophagus,