HEALTH
The charge for a consultation at general out-patient clinics is $21, while that at specialist clinics is $33. Charges for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and child assessment services are $33 per session. Attendances at geriatric or psychiatric day centres and home visits by community nurses cost $34 per session. These fees may also be waived if warranted.
The charge for injections and dressings in general out-patient clinics is $9, while charges for visits to family planning clinics and methadone clinics remain at $1.
Free medical services continued to be offered at maternal and child health centres, tuberculosis and chest clinics, social hygiene clinics, and accident and emergency departments.
Towards Better Health
The consultation document, 'Towards Better Health', which was published in July, included discussion of various health care reforms. It attracted 494 submissions from the public during the four-month consultation period, which ended in October.
The government, in issuing the document, wished to ensure that the existing policy
that no-one should be denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means remained paramount. It also wished to ensure that a balance was struck between the provision of services and level of subsidy for these services.
Increased accessibility to health services in the form of reduced waiting times, better services and more choice; simpler administration and improved efficiency were also targets behind the document.
Training of Medical and Health Personnel
Basic training of doctors is provided by the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Graduates of the two medical schools are awarded degrees which are recognised by the General Medical Council of Great Britain. The medical student intake in 1993 was 165 at the University of Hong Kong and 167 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Under the Licentiate Scheme of the Hong Kong Medical Council, 25 externally-trained doctors passed the local licentiate examination in 1993. After satisfactory completion of an externship programme in public hospitals, they will become registered medical practitioners.
The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, which is an independent statutory body with the authority to approve, assess and accredit all post-internship medical training, was inaugurated in December.
Basic training for nurses is provided in 16 Hospital Authority nursing schools. Eleven schools provide training programmes for registration and five provide programmes for enrolment. Among the 16 schools, three provide both registration and enrolment programmes. The total number of trainees recruited in 1993 was 1 561, including 1041 student nurses and 520 pupil nurses. There are also three private nursing schools, which had an intake of 61 student nurses and 111 pupil nurses during the year.
Training in dentistry is available at the University of Hong Kong, which produced its ninth group of 33 graduates in January 1993. Training of dental therapists is provided at the Tang Shiu Kin Dental Therapists Training School.
The departments of diagnostic sciences, rehabilitation sciences and health sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic provide training for para-medical and para-dental staff, including
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