ENG-1993 — Page 194

HEALTH

A total of 745 000 patients were treated in public hospitals, while there were 4 622 680 attendances at specialist clinics.

The accident and emergency departments of major public hospitals, which handle cases of acute illness and accident casualties free of charge, saw 1 342 080 attendances an average of 3 677 per day.

Projects in the hospital development programme progressed satisfactorily.

The 1620-bed Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan opened in October. At the end of the year, 244 beds were in operation.

The Hong Kong Eye Hospital opened in Mongkok in September and is the first hospital of its kind offering a full range of care and treatment for eye patients in the territory. Reorganised from what was previously the Argyle Street Ophthalmic Centre, it offers specialist ophthalmology services at both the secondary and tertiary referral levels.

The number of beds available at Tuen Mun Hospital, which opened in 1990, increased to 1 175 at the end of the year. The hospital will provide a total of 1 606 beds upon full operation.

The year also saw the reopening of Siu Lam Hospital to provide 300 beds for mentally handicapped patients.

The first cancer centre is being built at the Prince of Wales Hospital to conduct multi-disciplinary cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, counselling and public education.

New or additional services are being progressively introduced at Tuen Mun Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital Extension, Ruttonjee Hospital, Shatin Cheshire Home, Shatin Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital.

Major projects under construction include the extension of the United Christian Hospital, refurbishment and air-conditioning of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, extension and refurbishment of Princess Margaret Hospital, construction of the 618-bed North District Hospital, redevelopment of Haven of Hope Hospital and Castle Peak Hospital, relocation of Nethersole Hospital to Tai Po, extension of the out-patient department of Kwong Wah Hospital, establishment of a geriatric day hospital at Wong Tai Sin Hospital, and construction of the Tai Po Infirmary and Convalescent Hospital.

Clinics

General out-patient services form a vital part of the health care system. The government operates 66 general out-patient clinics. In the more densely-populated areas with higher demand, evening, Sunday and public holiday sessions are also provided. Total attendances came to 10.4 million in 1993. To cater for increasing demand, 10 additional clinic projects have been included in the medical development programme for the next decade.

Mobile dispensaries and floating clinics provide the necessary medical services to remote areas of the New Territories and outlying islands. Other inaccessible areas are visited regularly by the flying doctor service, with the assistance of the Government Flying Service.

Registered medical practitioners belonging to the Estate Doctors' Association run clinics in housing estates to provide a low-cost service for residents. Private medical practitioners continue to attend to the majority of out-patients.

At the end of the year, a total of 89 clinics were operated by various charity organisations registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance and 139 were registered as exempted clinics.

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