Replies to LegCo questions

LC Q12: Attendance of A&E departments in public hospitals

Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung Kin-kee and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (November 6):

Question:

Will the Government inform this Council of the following, broken down by the patients' age profile (in age groups each covering five years):

(a) the number of attendances at the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals in each of the past five years; and

(b) a breakdown of the numbers in (a), according to the patients' triage categories based on the urgency of their cases?

Reply:

(a) & (b) The number of attendances (for age group 0-4, age groups 5-54 each covering ten years, age groups above 55-84 each covering five years and age group above 84) at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments of the Hospital Authority (HA) during 1999 to 2001, with breakdown according to five triage categories, is at Annex. HA only started to implement the standardised five-category triage system in its A&E departments in 1999. Comprehensive statistics broken down by standardised triage categories prior to 1999 are not readily available. Also, attendance statistics for age groups 5-54 and age group above 84 broken down by age groups each covering five years are not readily available.

END/Wednesday, November 6, 2002
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