ENG-2006 — Page 205

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clinics, seven child assessment centres, two travel health centres and other clinic services. About 7.5 million visits to these clinics were recorded in 2006.

Secondary, Tertiary and Specialised Healthcare Services

Secondary, tertiary and specialised healthcare services are provided mainly in the hospital setting. As at December 31, 2006, there were 27 755 hospital beds run by the Hospital Authority, comprising 20 238 acute, 2 151 infirmary, 4 666 mentally ill and 700 rehabilitative beds. In addition, there were 3 124 beds in private hospitals, 2 998 in nursing homes and 762 in institutions under the Correctional Services. Department. In aggregate, the average number of beds per thousand population is 5.0.

Specialist Out-patient Service

Secondary and tertiary ambulatory services in the public sector are mainly provided through the specialist clinics of the Hospital Authority. At these clinics, patients' symptoms are assessed, and specific investigations will be arranged to facilitate diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients requiring long-term specialist care. In the financial year 2005-06, about $5.6 billion were allocated for the provision of such services. Most public hospitals offer a range of specialty clinics, encompassing Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Ophthalmology, Ear Nose and Throat, Neurosurgery, Oncology and Cardiothoracic Surgery. Many have also designated subspecialty clinics such as Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine, Nephrology, Neurology, Endocrine and Diabetology, Haematology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Geriatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine.

In 2006, there were almost 6 million specialist outpatient attendances and about 1.9 million allied health outpatient attendances in public hospitals. To manage the high patient demand, the specialist clinics in public hospitals have implemented a triage system for screening new referrals so that patients requiring more urgent medical attention will be given earlier clinic appointments. Patients with priority I and Il medical conditions would be seen within two weeks and eight weeks respectively. The triage criteria have been communicated to private practitioners to facilitate preliminary investigation of patients. The specialist clinics in many public hospitals have also worked with the family medicine specialist clinics within the same cluster to assess preliminarily patients with stable and low-risk medical conditions so as to shorten the waiting time for new referrals. Patients with stable conditions would either be referred back to the primary care practitioners in the private sector or the step-down clinics (general out-patient clinics) of the Hospital Authority for further follow-up and treatment.

Acute In-patient Service

In-patient services are offered to patients who require intense therapy for their acute illness. In the financial year 2005-06, about $16.8 billion were allocated for the provision of such services. These services are available in 15 major acute hospitals under the Hospital Authority. Supported by full ancillary services, clinicians in public hospitals are able to effectively treat patients with different medical needs through a