ENG-1999 — Page 218

CHAPTER 10

Health

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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 the community's health through a range of promotional, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services. It also works with the private sector and teaching institutions to protect public health.

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

nurses

In December, 9 818 doctors were registered with the Medical Council and 38 960 were registered with the Nursing Council. The 33 555 hospital beds represented 4.90 beds per thousand population: 28 602 beds in hospitals run by the authority, 2978 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 1999, the infant mortality rate was 3.2 per thousand live births and the average life expectancy at birth was 77.2 years for males and 82.6 for females.

Health problems in Hong Kong are mostly associated with lifestyle-related chronic degenerative diseases. The four leading causes of death in 1999 were cancers (32.7 per cent), heart diseases (15.5 per cent), pneumonia (11.3 per cent) and cerebrovascular diseases (10.1 per cent). These diseases affect mainly elderly people and will continue to dominate the mortality statistics as the population ages.

Infectious diseases

Hong Kong lists 27 statutory notifiable infectious diseases, including the newly added chickenpox. Cholera, plague and yellow fever are quarantinable diseases. In 1999, 19 847 cases of notifiable infectious diseases were reported, of which nearly 35 per cent were due to tuberculosis.