Health 163
discharged elderly patients through better discharge planning and 'one-stop' post- discharge support arrangement, and to relieve the stress of carers of discharged elderly patients through carer training and other support services.
Another improvement is the stationing of more community nurses at care centres and NGOs to provide on-site care in helping elderly patients discharged from the hospital to recover at home.
Extended care hospitals provide specialist programmes for the rehabilitation of pulmonary, orthopaedic, geriatric and cardiac patients, while short-term rehabilitation programmes are provided for discharged patients in day and outpatient clinics. Integrated palliative day care centres provide a full range services for reducing the pain or stress of patients with incurable illnesses.
Dental Health
Eight school dental clinics run by the DH provided preventive dental services including annual dental check-ups and basic dental care to about 328 000 primary students in the 2009-10 school year, or about 95.1 per cent of the total number of primary school pupils 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 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.
A Task Force on Primary Dental Care and Oral Health was formed in late 2010 under WGPC. It advises the Government on the strategy and measures for development of primary dental care and promotion of oral health in Hong Kong as well as the formulation and implementation of related specific initiatives including pilot projects and surveys. It also tenders advice on the strategies and measures aiming to enhance the professional development of dentists and other supporting healthcare professionals.
Mental Health
The Government is committed to promoting good mental health in Hong Kong, and supports a dedicated joint approach by the Administration and the whole community to achieve this aim.
The Government intends to provide comprehensive mental health services, including continuous treatment for patients who need it indefinitely, early detection and treatment, rehabilitation and community support.
Resources allocated by the Government to mental health services have been increasing over the years bringing the annual expenditure to $3.77 billion in 2009-10.
Early discharge of mental patients in stabilised conditions to receive care and rehabilitation outside the confines of hospitals can help reduce the chances of relapses. The international trend nowadays focuses on community and ambulatory
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