Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ16: Primary health care and medical services
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Joseph Lee and a written reply by
the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative
Council today (April 24):
Question:
Some members of the public have relayed to me that with changes in
society, public demand for primary health care and medical services (in
particular services of Maternal and Child Care Centres and dermatological
specialist out-patient services) provided by the clinics and health
centres under the Department of Health (clinics and health centres) is
growing day by day, and the manpower requirement for nursing staff
providing such services has also been rising. In this connection, will the
Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of person-times receiving various services in clinics
and health centres last year, the average waiting time for first
appointments and the establishment of nursing staff at present, with a
breakdown by clinic and health centre;
(b) of the factors taken into account by the authorities in setting up
clinics and health centres, and whether the adequacy of nursing staff has
been assessed; if so, of the criteria for calculating the manpower
requirement for nursing staff; if not, the reasons for that;
(c) given that some members of the public have relayed that their demand
for the services provided by clinics and health centres is keen but the
waiting time is very long, whether the authorities have regularly assessed
if there is sufficient manpower of nursing staff for various services in
clinics and health centres; if they have, of the details; if not, the
reasons for that; and
(d) given the changing demographic structure (e.g. ageing population, and
children born in Hong Kong to Mainland women whose spouses are not Hong
Kong permanent residents coming to reside in Hong Kong), there is an
increasing demand for primary health care and medical services (including
various services provided by the Department of Health), whether the
authorities have a comprehensive plan to increase the number of clinics
and health centres so as to meet the demand; if they have, of the details;
if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(a) The Department of Health (DH) provides preventive healthcare services
to different age groups mainly through its Clinical Genetic Service,
Family Health Service, Student Health Service, School Dental Care Service
and Elderly Health Service. Specialised outpatient clinics under DH also
provides curative services to patients with tuberculosis (TB) and chest
diseases, skin diseases or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
Moreover, Child Assessment Service is provided to children with
developmental problems. The attendances for these services, the waiting
time of new cases, as well as the nursing manpower in various units in
2012 are set out at Annex.
(b) and (c) The Government will introduce healthcare policies and services
in the light of the needs of the overall population and individual
districts. If there is increasing public demand for health services, DH
will ensure the standard and quality of its service by re-engineering work
procedures, enhancing efficiency and staff deployment.
Given variations in the area, nature and complexity of work in respect of
nurses serving in different units under DH, nursing manpower is arranged
according to the actual circumstances and needs of individual services.
For instance, DH will deploy more nurses to clinics with higher service
volume and demand. Besides, DH will conduct regular reviews on the service
delivery models, service demand and waiting time so as to arrange staff
deployment accordingly. Recruitment of nurses will also be conducted where
necessary to fill up vacancies arising from the provision of new services.
(d) Having regard to an ageing population and the increasing demand for
healthcare services, the Government has mapped out a long-term primary
care development strategy and implemented a number of measures and pilot
projects in the past few years. These include the development of
conceptual models and reference frameworks in primary care settings for
common chronic illnesses and age-specific groups, development and
promotion of the Primary Care Directory, and devising feasible models for
service delivery such as establishment of community health centres.
As regards health services for the elderly, in addition to elderly health
centres of DH, there are various primary care service providers in the
community including the Hospital Authority, non-governmental organisations,
private doctors and other private healthcare service providers. The
Government also implements, in collaboration with the private sector, the
following specific projects for the elderly:
(i) launched on a pilot basis in January 2009, the Elderly Health Care
Voucher Scheme provides the elderly with subsidy for using private primary
care services. To further enhance the Scheme, the voucher amount has been
increased and the Scheme will be converted from a pilot project into a
recurrent support programme for the elderly in 2014;
(ii) the Elderly Vaccination Subsidy Scheme launched in October 2009
subsidises Hong Kong elders aged 65 or above in receiving seasonal
influenza and pneumococcal vaccination;
(iii) launched in April 2011 in collaboration with NGOs, the Pilot Project
on Outreach Primary Dental Care Services for the Elderly in Residential
Care Homes (RCHEs) and Day Care Centres (DEs) provides primary dental care
to elders in RCHEs or DEs through outreach services; and
(iv) the Elderly Health Assessment Pilot Programme to be launched in
collaboration with NGOs aims at promoting preventive care for elders and
encouraging provision of such services in the community. The Programme is
expected to be launched in mid-2013.
In view of the increase in public demand for obstetric and child health
services in recent years, DH expanded the Fanling Maternal and Child
Health Centre (MCHC) in 2012. A new MCHC is also planned to be opened in
mid-2013 in the newly constructed Joint-user Complex at Bailey Street,
Hung Hom.
Ends/Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Issued at HKT 13:12
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Annex to LCQ16