ENG-2006 — Page 203

Health 167

and child health centres, representing about 36 per cent and 87 per cent respectively of the total in 2006. The majority of the remaining expectant mothers and newborns seek antenatal services from the private sector.

Concerning sexual and reproductive health services, the government-subvented Family Planning Association (FPA) of Hong Kong offers a range of fertility treatments, check-ups, counselling, and pre-marital and pre-pregnancy preparation through its various clinics, youth healthcare centres, women's clubs, and libraries. In 2006, the subvention amounted to $29.6 million and over 120 000 clients were served. With the objective of strengthening family life and promoting sexuality education, FPA opened the new Tsuen Wan centre and co-organised the First Hong Kong Sex Cultural Festival with various local organisations in 2006.

Student Health

For primary and secondary school students, the Department of Health offers health assessment, health education and individual health counselling with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention through its 12 student health service centres and three special assessment centres. In 2006, services were provided to 756 054 students between the ages of six and 19.

Furthermore, to safeguard students' health, school health inspectors, health officers and nurses pay regular visits to schools to disseminate information on environmental hygiene and sanitation, to advise on the control of communicable diseases and to organise immunisation campaigns.

Elderly Health

For people aged 65 or above, a comprehensive primary healthcare service is offered by the Department of Health through 18 elderly health centres and 18 visiting health teams. The services include health assessment, physical check-up, counselling, curative treatment, and health education. Such services are aimed at enhancing primary healthcare for the elderly, improving their ability to care for themselves, encouraging healthy living and strengthening family support to minimise illness and disability of their elders. The 18 visiting health teams reach out to the community and residential care settings to conduct health promotion activities for the elderly and to provide training to carers to enhance their health knowledge and skill in caring for the elderly. In 2006, the elderly health centres recorded 38 042 enrolments and 186 167 attendances for health assessment and medical consultation, while the visiting health teams made 276 941 client contacts.

Community Health

In view of the international trend of focusing on the development of ambulatory and community care programmes, the allocation of public funding for public hospital services has been changing from the institution-based approach to a population- based approach to encourage the mobilisation of resources from institutions to community settings.

In 2006, the Hospital Authority continued to step up training for family physicians, community paediatricians, community physicians, general practitioners