ENG-2008 — Page 211

Health 159

Dental Health

There are eight School Dental Clinics run by the School Dental Service Division of the Department of Health to provide preventive dental services which include annual dental check-ups and basic dental care to about 366 000 primary students in the 2007-08 school year, or about 95 per cent of the total number of primary school children in Hong Kong.

In addition to the 11 government dental clinics that provide basic dental services to the general public for pain relief and tooth extraction, the department also offers specialist oral healthcare services in seven public hospitals to inpatients. and others with special oral health needs. The department also monitors the level of fluoridation in water supplied to the public to reduce dental decay among people living in Hong Kong.

Mental Health

To strengthen community nursing care for patients with mental problems, the Hospital Authority has launched a pilot scheme in Kowloon West Cluster and New Territories East Cluster to provide post-discharge community support to frequently readmitted psychiatric patients to assist in their rehabilitation. In addition, the Hospital Authority piloted the Consultation-Liaison psychiatric services at Accident and Emergency Departments in the Kowloon East Cluster and the Kowloon Central Cluster to provide psychiatric consultation service for patients with acute psychiatric conditions to relieve their conditions as early as possible and reduce unnecessary admission. Information on other public mental health rehabilitation services is in Chapter 10.

Other Special Services

The Department of Health runs a range of specialist clinics and centres for the public. They include 20 methadone clinics, 19 tuberculosis and chest clinics, seven social hygiene clinics, four dermatology clinics, two integrated treatment centres, three clinical genetic clinics, six child assessment centres, and two travel health centres. More than 7.1 million visits to these clinics were recorded in 2008.

Secondary, Tertiary and Specialised Healthcare Services

Secondary, tertiary and specialised healthcare services are provided mainly in hospitals run by the Hospital Authority. As at December 31, 2008, there were 27 229 hospital beds, comprising 20 423 general beds, 2 041 infirmary beds, 4 105 beds for the mentally ill and 660 beds for the mentally handicapped. In addition, there were 3 712 beds in private hospitals, 3 347 in nursing homes and 760 in institutions run by the Correctional Services Department. In all, the number of beds per thousand of population is about five.

According to the DHA, spending on secondary, tertiary and specialised healthcare services, including public specialist outpatient and inpatient services, as well as private inpatient services, amounted to about $34.8 billion in 2004-05. The expenditure on public specialist outpatient and inpatient services accounted for 84 per cent of the expenditure on secondary, tertiary and specialised healthcare services.