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Health

to provide better protection for patients requiring costly drugs and treatment, including the Government grant of $10 billion to the Samaritan Fund in 2012. The Government will continue to take forward various healthcare service reform measures, including enhancing primary care services, promoting public-private partnership in health care and developing a territory-wide electronic health record sharing system.

Organisational Framework

The FHB formulates policies and allocates resources for Hong Kong's health services, with the aim of protecting and promoting public health, providing lifelong holistic health care to every citizen, and ensuring that no one is denied adequate medical treatment due to lack of means.

The Department of Health (DH) is the Government's health adviser and executes healthcare policies and statutory functions. It safeguards the community's health through a range of promotional, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services.

The Hospital Authority (HA), established under the Hospital Authority Ordinance, provides public hospital and related services. It offers medical treatment and rehabilitation services to patients through hospitals, specialist clinics, general outpatient clinics, and outreaching services organised into seven 'clusters' that together serve the whole of Hong Kong.

The Health and Medical Development Advisory Committee (HMDAC), chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health and with members from different sectors of the community, reviews the way healthcare services are provided and advises Government on the formulation of healthcare policies.

Healthcare Reform

In response to the challenges of an ageing society, advances in medical technology, and rising healthcare costs, the Government has embarked on a number of new initiatives to enhance the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system:

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Private health insurance - a study is being conducted by the FHB on the implementation of a voluntary and government-regulated private health insurance scheme, the Health Protection Scheme (HPS), to encourage private insurers in the market to introduce health insurance products with better protection and more clarity of terms for the insured.

Healthcare manpower planning a strategic review on healthcare manpower planning and professional development, covering 13 statutorily regulated healthcare professions, is being conducted by the FHB to plan for an adequate supply of healthcare manpower to meet long-term demand and to strengthen professional training and development to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of Hong Kong's healthcare system.

Private healthcare service development - the Government has set aside new land for private hospital development and a review is being undertaken by the FHB to enhance the regulation of private healthcare facilities and private hospitals for greater transparency of fees and charges and better safety and quality of private healthcare services.

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