ENG-2006 — Page 201

Health 165

year amounted to $37.8 billion, equivalent to 14.7 per cent of total public expenditure, or 2.9 per cent of GDP. Hong Kong's ageing population, rising expectations of healthcare, and soaring medical costs pose a challenge for the Government in the long run and is a matter of concern to the community.

Organisational Framework

The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau is responsible for, among other things, formulating policies and allocating resources for the running of Hong Kong's health services. It also oversees the implementation of these policies to protect and promote public health, provide lifelong holistic healthcare to every citizen of Hong Kong, and ensure that no one is denied adequate medical treatment through lack of means.

The Department of Health is the Government's health adviser and agency to execute healthcare policies and statutory functions. It safeguards the community's health through a range of promotional, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services.

The Hospital Authority is a statutory body established in 1990 under the Hospital Authority Ordinance to provide public hospital and related services. It offers medica! treatment and rehabilitation services to patients through hospitals, specialist clinics, general outpatient clinics, and outreaching services that are administratively organised into seven clusters together covering the whole of Hong Kong.

The Health and Medical Development Advisory Committee, chaired by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, has 12 members drawn from different sectors of the community. Its role is to review regularly the way healthcare services are provided in Hong Kong and to draw up a long-term plan for maintaining and financing quality services. In July 2005, the Committee issued a discussion paper on the desired future healthcare service delivery model, which won wide public support. Its key recommendations included:

(a) paying greater attention to primary health care and promoting the family

doctor concept;

(b) more collaboration and cooperation between the public and private sectors

and focusing the public sector in its priority areas;

(c) caring for the elderly, patients with chronic diseases, and patients in the

rehabilitation stage in the community as far as possible; and

(d) making use of information technology to establish a territory-wide electronic

patient record system.

The recommendations in the discussion paper are being gradually taken in hand and implemented. Issues related to healthcare reform and financing arrangements are now being studied with a view to initiating public consultation in 2007.