ENG-1998 — Page 217

CHAPTER 10 HEALTH

THE government's health care policy is that no one should be denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means. To this end, it provides a range of services. and facilities to complement those available in the private sector and to meet the needs of less-affluent patients.

The Organisational Framework

The Department of Health is the government's health adviser and regulatory authority. It safeguards community health through a range of promotional, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services. It also works with the private sector and teaching institutions to deliver primary health care.

The Hospital Authority is a statutory body which was established in 1990 to manage all public hospitals. It provides medical treatment and rehabilitation services to patients through hospitals, specialist clinics and outreaching services.

In December 1998, 9 527 doctors were registered with the Medical Council and 39 250 nurses were registered with the Nursing Board. There were 32 874 hospital beds, representing 4.92 beds per thousand population. This comprises 27 883 beds in hospitals run by the authority, 2 978 in private hospitals, 1 202 in nursing homes, 703 in correctional institutions and 70 operated by the Department of Health.

Health of the Community

Hong Kong's health indices compare favourably with those of most developed countries. In 1998, the infant mortality rate was 3.2 per thousand live births and the average life expectancy at birth was 76.6 years for males and 82 for females.

Health problems in Hong Kong are mostly due to lifestyle-related chronic degenerative diseases. The four leading causes of death in 1998 were cancers (32.3 per cent), heart diseases (15 per cent), pneumonia (12.8 per cent) and cerebrovascular diseases (9.4 per cent). These diseases affect mainly elderly people and will continue to dominate the mortality statistics as the population ages.

Infectious diseases

In 1998, there were 26 statutory notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong, including three quarantinable diseases, namely cholera, plague and yellow fever. In 1998, 9831 cases of notifiable infectious diseases were reported, of which nearly 78 per cent were tuberculosis.

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