ENG-2009 — Page 225

Health 165

AIDS Counselling and Education

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and health promotion programmes in Hong Kong are underpinned by the concerted efforts of the Government and NGOs. The Department's 'Red Ribbon Centre' collaborates with its community partners to promote public awareness and prevention of HIV and to discourage discrimination against HIV patients. In 2009, the centre organised 24 major activities and 94 special programmes, from which some 80 000 participants benefited. The number of new and active HIV patients reported in 2009 was 396, compared with 435 in 2008.

A 24-hour, trilingual (Cantonese, Putonghua and English) AIDS hotline, 2780 2211, provides information on AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), sexually transmitted diseases and HIV testing. Appointments for a counselling service and HIV antibody tests may be made on the hotline. In 2009, about 14 500 calls were made to nurse counsellors on the hotline by people seeking AIDS counselling.

About 1.07 million condoms were distributed to promote safer sex. There is also a telephone hotline called The Gay Men HIV Testing Hotline, 2117 1069 and a website, www.21171069.com, to advise men who have sex with men. In 2009, the Gay Men HIV Testing Hotline received 362 calls for counselling and HIV antibody testing.

Organ Donation

The Department of Health joined the Hospital Authority, the Hong Kong Medical Association and NGOs in promoting organ donation. In 2008, the department, together with the relevant organisations, launched a Centralised Organ Donation Register (CODR), to promote organ donation as a charitable life-saving act.

Potential donors are encouraged to record their names in the register, expressing their wish to donate their organs after death and to make their wish known to their families. The goal is to get people to recognise voluntary organ donation as a commendable act. At the end of 2009, about 45 000 people had registered their wish to donate organs in CODR.

There were 43 liver, 87 renal, 10 heart, two double-lung and 203 cornea donations from the deceased in Hong Kong's public hospitals in 2009. The number of patients waiting for kidney, liver, heart and double-lung transplants stands at 1 602, 100, 10 and eight respectively as at the end of 2009.

Smoking and Health

China is a state party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO), rendering provisions of the convention to be applicable to Hong Kong. The tobacco control policy of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Government aims, through a step-by-step approach, to discourage smoking, contain the proliferation of tobacco use and protect the public from second-hand smoke as much as possible.

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166 Health