ENG-2005 — Page 214

176 Health

menopause service, subfertility service, youth counselling and men's health check-ups. In 2005, over 130 000 clients were served. The Osteoporosis Clinic and the Anita Mui Health Centre were opened during the year. The association also offers family life education and sexuality education, and organises outreach activities and publicity campaigns to advocate and promote responsible parenthood and sexual and reproductive health among individuals, families and the community.

Student Health

The Student Health Service of the Department of Health places emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Its 12 student health service centres and three special assessment centres provide health assessment, health education and individual health counselling to primary and secondary school students. The Adolescent Health Programme was introduced in the 2001-02 school year to promote psychosocial health in secondary schools. In addition, school health inspectors pay regular visits to schools to disseminate information on environmental hygiene and sanitation to safeguard the health of students. Health officers and nurses also visit schools to advise on the control of communicable diseases and organise immunisation campaigns.

Health Care for the Elderly

The Department of Health provides health services for the elderly through 18 elderly health centres and 18 visiting health teams to enhance primary health care, improve self-care, encourage healthy living and strengthen family support so as to minimise illness and disability. Health centres for the elderly provide an integrated health service including health assessment, physical check-ups, counselling, curative treatment and health education to people aged 65 and above. Visiting health teams are in close contact with the community and residential care homes and so can conduct health promotion activities for the elderly and provide training to carers to enhance their health knowledge and skills in caring for the elderly.

Clinics

The Department of Health operates 20 methadone clinics, 19 tuberculosis and chest clinics, eight social hygiene clinics, four dermatology clinics, one integrated treatment centre, three clinical genetic clinics, seven child assessment centres and other clinic services. About 7.7 million visits to these clinics were recorded in 2005. The Hospital Authority operates 74 general outpatient clinics and three Chinese medicine outpatient clinics. Additional sites and funding approval have been secured to establish six new clinics to help develop Chinese medicine practice and provide training in 'evidence-based' Chinese medicine. Efforts continued to promote the development of family medicine at these clinics and enhance the integration of primary and specialist care. Some 5.2 million visits to the Hospital Authority's general outpatient clinics and about 79 000 visits to the three Chinese medicine outpatient clinics were recorded in 2005.

Apart from public service facilities, the community may seek medical treatment from the private sector, which includes medical practitioners working in private practice and 169 clinics registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance.