ENG-1999 — Page 221

HEALTH

Private-sector medical services are provided by medical practitioners working in private medical practices, housing estate clinics and 200 clinics registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance.

Dental Services

The department's Dental Service promotes oral health in the community through promotive and preventive oral health services.

Oral health education and promotion activities are organised throughout the year to increase the general level of oral health awareness. These activities include outreaching programmes delivered through an Oral Health Education Bus and target-specific programmes delivered through maternal and child health centres, kindergartens and pre-school centres to more than 180 000 pre-schoolers every year.

Preventive services are delivered through the School Dental Care Service which provides annual dental examination and basic dental care to about 428 900 children annually. A 24-hour interactive voice response system (hotline number 2713 7028) is available to provide voice and fax information about the School Dental Care Service and oral health. The domestic water supply is also fluoridated to reduce dental decay.

Specialist oral health services are provided to hospital patients and those with special oral health needs. An emergency dental service is provided to the general public at 11 designated dental clinics.

Health Care for the Elderly

People aged 65 and above receive integrated health services, including health assessment, physical check up, counselling, curative treatment, and health education, at 18 elderly health centres. The 18 visiting health teams reached into the community and residential care settings to conduct wellness programmes with the aim of enhancing health awareness among the elderly and increasing their self-care ability.

Using the 'train the trainer/helper' approach, visiting health teams train carers to enhance their health knowledge and skills in caring for the elderly. The services aim to enhance primary health care for the elderly, improve their self-care ability, encourage healthy living and strengthen family support so as to minimise illness and disability.

The provision of medical services for elderly patients is a priority area. Geriatric services are provided in all acute hospitals. Ten community geriatric assessment teams and nine psychogeriatric teams provide specialist support to elderly persons living in subvented residential care homes and those applying for residential care, as well as to their carers. Public hospitals also provide 527 geriatric day places for elderly patients.

Services for the Mentally Ill and Mentally Handicapped

At the end of 1999, psychiatric hospitals provided 3 717 beds and public psychiatric units of general hospitals 1 557 beds. The number of psychiatric day hospital places remained at 639. Castle Peak Hospital, one of Hong Kong's two main psychiatric hospitals, is being redeveloped.

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