ENG-2016 — Page 182

Chapter 9

Health

Hong Kong's public and private medical sectors provide extensive healthcare services, including a low-cost public healthcare 'safety net' that ensures no one in Hong Kong is denied medical care due to lack of means.

2016 Figures at a Glance

Infant Mortality Rate

Maternal Mortality Ratio

Life Expectancy

2016

2064 (projected)

81.3* (Male)

87.0 (Male)

1.6* per 1,000 registered live births

0* per 100,000 registered live births.

87.3* (Female)

92.5 (Female)

(*provisional figures)

Hong Kong has a high-quality healthcare system supported by a highly professional team of workers. The infant mortality rate has fallen steadily over the past 20 years, from four per 1,000 live births in 1996 to 1.6* per 1,000 live births in 2016, one of the lowest in the world. Male and female life expectancy in 2016, at 81.3 years and 87.3 years respectively, were among the highest in the world.

Hong Kong's Domestic Health Accounts (DHA) show total health expenditure increased from 3.6 per cent to 5.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product from 1989-90 to 2013-14. Over the same period, public health spending ($60.6 billion in 2013-14, or 2.8 per cent of GDP) rose from 39 per cent to 49 per cent of total health expenditure. The government's recurrent funding for health has risen substantially over the past five years, from $41.5 billion in 2011 to $57.3 billion by 2016, registering an increase of about $15.8 billion, or more than 38 per cent. Recurrent expenditure on health accounted for 17 per cent of the government's recurrent expenditure in 2016.

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A series of accounts compiled over the years in accordance with the International Classification for Health Accounts Framework developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to keep track of Hong Kong's health spending and to allow for international comparison.

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